The Good Samaritan found her own Good Samaritan.

Facing $1,000 fines if she continued to feed some of Honolulu's homeless without a proper state health permit, Sharon Black made one final phone call and found a savior at Penny's Lunch Wagon and Snack Bar.

"I had one day left," Black said. "I pulled that off at the last minute. I was desperate."

Black has faithfully fed the homeless downtown every Saturday for 19 years, paying for much of the food with her own money. But after the Department of Health discovered last month that she did not have a permit, she was told to stop.

The only way to continue was to find a Health Department-approved kitchen willing to let her prepare meals each week. Although Black had used the kitchen at the Institute for Human Services since 1988, the homeless shelter told her Wednesday afternoon to find another location.

Late Thursday, she called an old friend, Penny Vance, who owns a tiny snack bar on Sand Island Access Road and cooks all the rice for Black's annual Thanksgiving feast for the needy.

Vance said Black can use her kitchen "any time, day or night ... forever."

That cleared the way for health officials to issue the permit yesterday afternoon, said Rex Mitsunaga, program manager for the Sanitation Branch.

"She is a legal, legitimate operation," he said.

Vance said it was an easy decision to help her friend because the two of them share the same values.

"She is helping people and I am a person who likes to help people also," she said.

Black said that she doesn't want to be a burden on Vance's small business and that she views the arrangement as temporary until she can find a slightly larger facility.

"It buys us a little time and I hope to find something more realistic," Black said. "At least we have a permit. We can still go out and serve the food without worrying about if I can afford a fine."

Reach Mike Gordon at mgordon@honoluluadvertiser.com.