Mary Porter, a North Vancouver resident, wishes she had googled the Single Parent Food Bank before giving them a donation.
A canvasser knocked on her door right as she got home from a hectic day, and she wrote a cheque. It wasn't until a few minutes after the canvasser left that Porter took a second look at her receipt and noticed the Maple Ridge address.
A quick Internet search resulted in a slew of media reports warning about the Single Parent Food Bank, she said.
After receiving several calls from residents, RC MP are now warning North Shore residents to watch out for neighbourhood canvassers who might be taking advantage of people's generosity over Christmas.
The Mounties suggest that if residents have any doubts, they should ask for a mailing address where they can send a cheque after verifying the charity's legitimacy.
"All fundraisers that solicit door to door are required to obtain a permit from either the City or District of North Vancouver," said RC MP spokesman Cpl. Richard De Jong in a press release. "The canvasser is required to carry proper identification and can only issue an official tax receipt from Revenue Canada if they are a registered charity."
Although the Single Parent Food Bank has a permit to canvas door to door in the District of North Vancouver, its receipts are not income- tax-deductible because it is not a registered charity.
However, the canvasser at Porter's door told her the receipt would be tax deductible, she said.
The Single Parent Food Bank expressed concern over the allegation. "We tell our representatives to never say that," a spokesman for the organization said in an emailed statement. The organization's website states that canvassers issue a receipt of acknowledgment, which is not tax-deductible.
The Single Parent Food Bank delivers food to families who are not able to visit their regular food bank because of disabilities or other reasons, said Mary McLeod, director of the Single Parent Food Bank, in an emailed statement.
It raised approximately $57,000 in 2012 to feed more than 100 families, she said.
Mirek Kwasny started the Single Parent Food Bank after the charitable status of his Canadian Charity Assist Society was revoked after an audit.
He has since been convicted of failure to comply with the Income Tax Act on several occasions, most recently in June 2012.
"Personal information about Mirek Kwasny's personal income tax has nothing to do with the Single Parent Food Bank, and the society will not comment on issues about someone's personal life," McLeod stated in an email.
Due to chronic fatigue syndrome and arthritis, Kwasny has not been actively involved in the food bank for the last two years, she said.
However, the recording for the food bank's cellphone identified the speaker as Kwasny.
Porter only donated a token amount of money, but she says she still feels deceived. "It's not the small amount of money from me, it's what they're taking as a whole away from the local food bank."
Kevin Lee, development officer for the Harvest Project, said he's concerned that residents might be confusing the Single Parent Food Bank with the North Shore's food bank.
The Harvest Project does not solicit donations at the door, he said. It's supported by community volunteers, and donations stay on the North Shore, he said.
"A significant number of our clients are single parents with dependent children," he said. "It's a vulnerable part of the community that we actively serve every day."
Lee notes that there are many local charities that could use help. "There's every good reason to look at the work that's going on around you by folks that are living and working in this community," he said. "There are plenty of worthy causes on the North Shore."
To find out if a charity is eligible to issue official donation receipts, check the government's searchable database at craarc.gc.ca/charitylists/.
