BAKERSFIELD, CALIF. (KERO) — With a wedding being a huge expense, the Bakersfield Burrito Project is trying to help ease that worry by getting married for beans to feed the homeless.
Video shows
- Bakersfield Burrito Project offers weddings in exchange for bean donations to support the homeless.
- Belinda Rickett, the project's CEO, officiates weddings to help couples struggling with marriage costs.
- Frankie Sutton, who donated beans, highlights financial challenges of obtaining a marriage license.
- The cost of marriage licenses in Kern County has risen from $67 in 2010 to $123 today.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Frankie Sutton was supposed to get married Friday to his fiancé of 8 years, but instead, he sits with me inside The Bakersfield Burrito Project, a non-profit, as his partner works on Valentine's Day.
"Love kind of takes that step back when it comes to those moments when bills are due. We want to proceed with getting a marriage license and a big fairy tale wedding, but it's just reality that sometimes we can't."
He donated 10 pounds of dry pinto beans to get married by Belinda Rickett from the Bakersfield Burrito Project.
But he still has to wait to say "I do" because of the cost increase to get a marriage license. "
The amount of it in the economy right now a lot of it is either pay a bill, keep your lights on, keep a roof over your head and get the bare necessities of food and essentials for your household."
In 2010, the cost for a marriage license in Kern County was 67 dollars; now it's 123 dollars.
Rickett is an ordained minister who is volunteering her time to marry people like Sutton.
The bean donations allow her to do so if couples have a marriage license and adds,"People who are already struggling or are scraping by can't actually get married, and that's unfortunate. So, we wanted to elevate some of that worry for people by making sure you're able to get an affordable wedding wherever they wanted here in town."
According to Kern County, there has been a minor decrease in people getting marriage licenses, as in 2022 there were 4,430 and in 2025 4,222.
Even with those numbers, Rickett still has the goal to help those finalize their love even after Valentine's Day for a donation of bean ingredients to the Bakersfield Burrito Project.
"We love our community, so we want to make sure we spread the love this way."
Even though Sutton isn't getting married on Valentine's Day, he is hoping through the Burrito Project to get married later this year when he has the money and has plans later with his fiancée.
Sutton expresses,"We are going to get heart-shaped pizza after she gets off of work today."
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