Daily Bread Ends Partnership with Feed Scarborough Amid Financial Concerns

The Daily Bread Food Bank has decided to sever ties with Feed Scarborough, one of its largest member agencies, following a police report regarding financial discrepancies. This decision means that Feed Scarborough will no longer receive food deliveries or funding from Daily Bread after its membership expires at the end of this month.

In recent weeks, Daily Bread’s board of directors took action after uncovering inconsistencies in invoices provided by Feed Scarborough, which raised serious concerns about its financial management. Daily Bread’s CEO, Neil Hetherington, explained that the charity had paused funding to Feed Scarborough during its investigation but continued to supply food to ensure that residents in south Scarborough were not adversely affected.

Hetherington emphasized the importance of ensuring that every dollar is allocated to charitable purposes, stating, “The concerns that we had were, were those funds directed towards the charitable purposes that they were intended to go to?” He underscored that any misallocation of funds could mean a lost meal for someone in need.

According to the police report reviewed by CBC News, Feed Scarborough received substantial support from Daily Bread, including $620,000 in grant funding for operations and capacity-building projects from 2021 to 2023. However, discrepancies emerged regarding financial documents. The report highlighted $18,000 in invoices for which the vendor had no record, along with over $100,000 in expense claims made by Suman Roy, who serves as both the board chair and CEO of Feed Scarborough.

The police report also raised red flags over a transaction involving $10,000 spent on food from a company owned by Roy. While these allegations have not been tested in court and no criminal charges have been filed, Hetherington expressed a profound sense of betrayal if the financial irregularities are proven true.

In response to the allegations, Roy, who founded Feed Scarborough in 2018, declined to comment on specific claims, citing an ongoing third-party investigation. “I am confident that with the conclusion of this investigation all allegations will be proven unfounded,” he stated. Furthermore, Roy asserted, “I adamantly deny that any Daily Bread dollars were spent with any vendors with conflict of interest.”

The police report noted that Feed Scarborough had assured Daily Bread it would provide documentation related to the financial discrepancies. However, months later, the charity reportedly denied access to those records. The Toronto Police confirmed they received the report from Daily Bread in November 2025, and their Financial Crimes Unit is currently investigating.

Roy maintained that Feed Scarborough had complied with requests for documentation and that the organization planned to provide these records by the end of the month, prior to the expiration of its membership agreement. Expressing disappointment over Daily Bread’s decision to withdraw its services, Roy emphasized that Feed Scarborough has acted in good faith throughout their partnership.

Feed Scarborough currently operates four in-person food banks and one online food bank in Scarborough, alongside various community support programs. When asked about the impact of losing Daily Bread’s support, Roy indicated that the charity would strive to maintain at least one independent food bank if community needs persist.

In a statement, Clifford Gomes, chair of Feed Scarborough’s board of directors, affirmed that the charity’s emergency food programming would continue and that they are actively addressing the accusations from Daily Bread, which remain unverified pending the investigation.

The financial discrepancies surfaced after Daily Bread management contacted one of Feed Scarborough’s vendors in February 2025, discovering a significant inconsistency in financial reporting. The vendor only provided one invoice for around $220 for food from 2024, contradicting the more than $18,000 in invoices Feed Scarborough submitted.

Additionally, a $10,000 invoice for emergency food hampers revealed that the vendor, Gourmet Alchemy, was incorporated by Roy shortly before the date of the invoice, with the main business address linked to property owned by Roy. Despite these findings, Gomes reassured that all vendors associated with Feed Scarborough were independent from anyone involved in the organization.

The police report also detailed over $111,000 in reimbursements for gift cards, food, and rent that Roy claimed between December 2021 and March 2023. Most of these claims were self-approved, raising further concerns about governance and financial oversight.

In light of these developments, Soso World Ministries, which operates three major food banks and 13 pantry programs throughout Scarborough, will take over the distribution of food previously provided to Feed Scarborough by Daily Bread. Garth Soso, the founder, expressed his concern over the issues facing Feed Scarborough, noting that it casts a shadow on all food banks.

As the investigation unfolds, the implications of these allegations could resonate beyond the organizations involved, prompting a closer examination of financial practices within food charities across the region.