Toronto’s Daily Bread Food Bank has decided to sever ties with one of its primary member agencies due to discrepancies found in invoices provided by Feed Scarborough for grant funding, leading to concerns about financial management. The board of directors at Daily Bread opted not to renew Feed Scarborough’s membership agreement, which means the agency will no longer receive food deliveries or funding from Daily Bread once its membership expires at the end of the current month.
Neil Hetherington, CEO of Daily Bread, mentioned that funding to Feed Scarborough had been put on hold while investigating financial irregularities. Despite this, food supplies continued to be provided to ensure residents in south Scarborough were not adversely affected. The main concern was whether the funds allocated were utilized for their intended charitable purposes.
Feed Scarborough, a significant member agency, has been a recipient of millions of dollars’ worth of food from Daily Bread annually and was granted $620,000 for operational and capacity-building projects from 2021 to 2023. An investigation conducted by CBC News, based on Daily Bread’s police report, invoices, and other records, highlighted various financial concerns regarding Feed Scarborough’s expenditure and management practices.
Allegations include missing invoices totaling $18,000, self-approved expense claims exceeding $100,000 to the then-board chair (now CEO) Suman Roy, and using grant money to purchase $10,000 worth of food from Roy’s personal company. While no criminal charges have been filed, Daily Bread expressed a sense of betrayal if the financial irregularities are substantiated.
In response to the allegations, Suman Roy, the founder and CEO of Feed Scarborough, denied any wrongdoing and emphasized confidence in the outcome of an ongoing third-party investigation commissioned by the charity. Roy refuted claims of misappropriating Daily Bread funds for vendors related to him or Feed Scarborough staff.
Despite assurances from Feed Scarborough about providing documentation to clarify financial discrepancies, access to records was later denied, according to Daily Bread’s police report. Toronto police confirmed receiving a report from Daily Bread concerning Feed Scarborough and are currently investigating the matter.
Suman Roy expressed disappointment over Daily Bread’s decision to terminate services, reiterating Feed Scarborough’s commitment to acting in good faith and utilizing resources for charitable purposes. The charity intends to maintain at least one independent food bank to serve the community’s needs.
Clifford Gomes, chair of Feed Scarborough’s board of directors, stated that the charity’s emergency food programs will continue while addressing Daily Bread’s accusations, which are pending investigation. Garth Soso, founder of Soso World Ministries, expressed readiness to accommodate Feed Scarborough’s clients in their existing programs following the transition of food distribution responsibilities from Daily Bread.