Food bank officials in Mississauga warn of scammers selling cookbooks door-to-door
Published August 3, 2022 at 4:49 pm
One of Mississauga’s main food banks is warning people of a scam in which two women have been fraudulently attempting to sell fundraising cookbooks door-to-door in the city.
Officials at The Compass Food Bank and Outreach Centre, which serves the community in south Mississauga from its Lakeshore Rd. E. location, recently posted a “scam alert” to the organization’s Facebook page.
The post warns people that two women have reportedly been trying to sell copies of The Compass’ cookbook All Roads Lead to Good Food: Cherished Recipes from The Compass Community door-to-door when the book is only available for purchase online.
Additionally, disgusted food bank officials note, the fraudsters have been seeking $30 for each cookbook, which sells for only $20 through legitimate online channels.
“It’s unfortunate and very sad that we feel the need to post something like this, but we do,” the Facebook post begins. “Two women have been seen selling our Compass cookbook door-to-door somehow for $30. First, that’s $10 above the real price of the book, and second, you can only order the book online. The only way to stop this is to report it to the police if you have been approached.”
Officials at The Compass emphasize that they cannot report the matter to police “as we have not been approached. Only people who have been (approached) can. Please help us stop this.”
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Food bank officials added that they want to be clear in telling people that “The Compass Food Bank is not selling cookbooks door-to-door. But two women are fraudulently doing so.”
Several people who responded to the post with comments expressed their disgust at the notion that anyone would seek to use a charity to scam people.
“How sad is that…the nerve of them,” wrote one person.
Another said it “breaks my heart for you. So sorry to learn this.”
“It’s a travesty that someone is doing this,” a third commenter contributed.
Food bank officials call the creation of the cookbook “a labour of love from the start.”
It began two years ago when a group of volunteers approached food bank officials with the idea for a fundraising book of recipes gathered from volunteers, staff, board members and the community.
“The result is this 168-page, spiral-bound bundle of fabulous, tasty recipes, information cooks would use, anecdotes and pure fun,” officials at The Compass say.
Proceeds from sales of the cookbook are used to support programs that involve learning about purchasing and preparing healthy and nutritious food.
The Compass was founded in 2002 by a group of local churches.
For more information, or to order cookbooks, visit The Compass.
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