Inspired by one woman's recent struggle with state bureaucracy, Lt. Gov. James "Duke" Aiona wants to find "a common-sense approach" to the health and safety rules enforced by the Department of Health.

Sharon Black, who has fed the homeless downtown each weekend for the past 19 years with sandwiches she made herself, faced $1,000 fines last month because she lacked the required health permit and an approved kitchen to work in. At the last minute, Black was given a permit when an old friend allowed her to use her kitchen.

But Aiona worried that other Good Samaritans might not be so lucky, said Kevin Souza, his deputy chief of staff and general counsel.

"While we believe it is very important to ensure the safety and the quality of the food being served to the needy and homeless, the lieutenant governor believes that individuals and community service groups that want to feed the needy should not be stymied in their efforts by burdensome government," Souza said. "These people are important. They provide an important service in our community."

Souza said Aiona wants to "carve out an exception" for people who work with the needy but has not settled on how to do that — with proposed legislation, administrative rule changes or "just talking to the Department of Health."

Officials with the health department's Sanitation Branch were generally supportive of Black when her problem surfaced, but also stated that the rules were there to protect everyone, homeless or not.

Peter Oshiro, the Sanitation Branch's plan review and standards supervisor, said Aiona's intentions are worthwhile, but defended the help given to Black.

"Our department did not stymie her," he said. "We only got involved as a result of complaints. She never had a permit. Our philosophy has always been how to help people comply with our rules and not to stop them from doing what they are doing."

Oshiro said the state could open up any one of the many approved kitchens it has in schools and hospitals.

"If the state is willing to lend out the state's facilities which have permits with us, then we could have charitable organizations that want to provide food in a safe place that has a permit with us," Oshiro said.

Health officials would gladly work with Aiona's office to address the lieutenant governor's concerns, Oshiro said.

"As long as the food can be created safely, we don't have any problem with it," he said.

Black said she was thrilled by the support.

"I can understand them having some guidelines," she said while shopping at the Hawaii Foodbank for tomorrow's meal. "You need to keep people safe but there should be, somewhere, an in-between so that people who want to do good are encouraged and not discouraged by government red tape."

Reach Mike Gordon at mgordon@honoluluadvertiser.com.