I have been following this story with interest: Founder of Dublin soup run feeding the homeless says she has ‘no intention’ of becoming a registered charity
No doubt the group have positive motives, have put huge effort into this work, and have done a lot of good. At first I thought this was all a bit heavy handed of the regulator and could have a negative effect on volunteering and non-profits in general.
But then you read the details about money going to an account in a butcher shop....
They have no website, just a Facebook page that doesn't identify anyone involved other than the founder - in fact she is the only person in any media interviews, so it may be just her holding the whole thing together.
This is not a running club or a tidy towns committee. It's providing an important service to vulnerable people. They say they have hundreds depending on them. Yet they are not able/willing to set up structures to ensure the services provided are legal, safe (e.g. food standards), and sustainable (basic accounting).
There are several of these soup kitchens operating around Dublin, I don't know why they don't coalesce into one charitable organisation. My own view is that these sorts of efforts inadvertently let the government off the hook by papering over systemic failings. Feels very Victorian and allows ministers to offload some responsibility when hunger should absolutely not be an issue in 21st century Ireland.
People giving donations also have a right to expect transparency and accountability. If an informal group like this were to end up doing something seriously wrong there would be an outcry that the regulator and the government had not intervened.
No doubt the group have positive motives, have put huge effort into this work, and have done a lot of good. At first I thought this was all a bit heavy handed of the regulator and could have a negative effect on volunteering and non-profits in general.
But then you read the details about money going to an account in a butcher shop....
They have no website, just a Facebook page that doesn't identify anyone involved other than the founder - in fact she is the only person in any media interviews, so it may be just her holding the whole thing together.
This is not a running club or a tidy towns committee. It's providing an important service to vulnerable people. They say they have hundreds depending on them. Yet they are not able/willing to set up structures to ensure the services provided are legal, safe (e.g. food standards), and sustainable (basic accounting).
There are several of these soup kitchens operating around Dublin, I don't know why they don't coalesce into one charitable organisation. My own view is that these sorts of efforts inadvertently let the government off the hook by papering over systemic failings. Feels very Victorian and allows ministers to offload some responsibility when hunger should absolutely not be an issue in 21st century Ireland.
People giving donations also have a right to expect transparency and accountability. If an informal group like this were to end up doing something seriously wrong there would be an outcry that the regulator and the government had not intervened.