It it illegal to use the wrong address?

Maybe, but if she is there getting food, she needs it, so I wouldn’t turn her in.

If you did not have a legitimate reason to look up her information, you could have violated her privacy by looking up the information on her file. I would let it go if I were you.

What she did is at most a misdemeanor, what you did could be a federal crime. I know former ambulance employees, that were very good at their jobs, that have been jailed for what you did.

Lying to get food at a food pantry? I realize it may be a lie and to me you shouldn’t lie. But, man or man. I dunno Wilma. On one hand she could be playing the system and doing who knows with the food she gets. I’ve known all kinds of scams people do with public assistance funds and handouts. If that would be the case, she would be in the wrong and possibly taking food from others who might legitimately need and qualify for the food.

But, if she is hungry and needs the food I wouldn’t and couldn’t say anything. I can’t bear the thought of someone being hungry. One of my hangups.

It really puts you on the spot doesn’t it? Is there someone there you can trust to discuss the situation with and get some feedback?

No more food for her. She lied on her applicantion for food.

I would tell her this.

I just thought about something, @wilma. The pantry has to have bylaws. That would explain what the procedure would be for a situation like this. The food pantry would have to be the one to initiate procecution in the first place. There may be a policy that the person is banned or something else listed in the bylaws.

I was assisting her in getting her food. I could have filled out the paperwork or asked the questions and gotten the information from her directly I was standing beside her when she was being interviewed, just not listening to what she was saying. I then filed her paperwork and that is when I found the discrepancy. We volunteers all share the work, filling out forms interviewing, stocking shelve etc.
She had left with her food before we discovered that she had lied.
If she had told the truth we would have given her food anyway, and then advised her to seek help at the food pantry that serves her area. Sometimes we find a ride for them if they don’t have transportation.

@WestRiverrat and @MrItty, I am a volunteer helping people get food when they need it. I do not claim to be a judge or jury and don’t understand your attack on me. I did not ever say that we were going to turn her in, nor did I say that she wasn’t getting any food. I just asked if it was illegal and what could happen to her for this action.

If she were prosecuted, it would be up to a District Attorney to decide on the charges based on several factors including the amount of what she took, how many times she had done this, if she is on probation etc. Most likely it would be a misdemeanor and she’d pay a fine.

@wilma I am not intentionally attacking you. I am just letting you know so that in the future you don’t put yourself into a position where you can be sued or jailed. Ignorance of the law is not an acceptable defence in these cases.

Granted the laws that cover medical personnel are a little more stringent than most other jobs, but there are limits that do apply to everyone that is in a position to have special knowledge of someone’s information.

Here are some cases where using a false address landed someone in jail:
1. A mother of two in Ohio who wanted her children to attend a better school – she ended up with nine days in jail.

2. This woman also lied about her address to a school – but pled guilty and avoided jail.

3. In Indiana this is definitely a crime – called IC 35–43-5–3.5
Identity deception

So…depends on where else she’s using that address..
If she’s got it on her Driver’s License and it’s not her valid home address and she presents it for medical care, for banking, employment or other governmental benefit purposes, or if she gets pulled over while driving..she’s probably going to get in trouble. For a food shelf…well, unless they need a valid address for government reimbursement or something of the sort, I don’t see where it needs to be pursued.

Listen guys. Think about something for a minute. @wilma is a volunteer helping at a food pantry. She, like others there, has access to individuals personal information. It is part of what she does in her role as a volunteer at a food pantry. She is asking a legitimate question. So don’t come off so curt and holier than thou to someone who is working for free to give food to people!!

@wilma You’re probably okay this time. You figured it out after she left. She’s got a problem if the DA is a prick. If you let her do it again you’re an accessory.

You can think of it this way: There is some homeless guy asking for money and you have doubts as to whether he is really homeless or not. I give him money. If he is lying, I don’t know and don’t care. I can’t let someone that needs food or appears to need food, to go without. I’m not going to question it. This is why I will never have a lot of money. I give what I have to people I think need it.

@WestRiverrat I know about confidentiality and discretion when I am working with our clients. I know that I didn’t do anything wrong. We see it all, the very needy and the very grateful. The too proud to ask and the scammers. We usually give them all food, even when we know that they are lying, because it’s food, and if they ask we give.
We have paperwork to turn into the government and she signed a paper that says that the information that she gave us was true. If she is using a false address with us she might be using it in other places.
I asked the question here, because I could keep her anonymity.

@Adirondackwannabe I was a bit worried about the accessory bit. I don’t want our food pantry to get in trouble. Then who will help all those people?

@wilma If someone receives government benefits illegally it’s a crime. If you let them you’re an accessory. She may be drawing in both places.

Your best course of action is to inform the head of the food pantry and let them handle it.

Sorry if it sounded like I was coming down hard on you @wilma but I have seen people like you that are just there to do good things get steamrolled by professional scammers when their scam gets exposed. Usually the scammers know the law better than the volunteers and some of them can be vindictive in using it for revenge.

Thank you @WestRiverrat I did inform the head of the food pantry.

It is not illegal, but she is committing fraud on the charity. I would tell them and let them decide how to handle it.

The charity is there to serve people in the local area. The money donated to the charity was for that cause and the money they receive for the government is for that cause. Now, obviously if someone is need of assistance then we want to help them but by helping people from outside of the area (whether they truly need the help or are just trying to scam you) you are in effect reducing the amount of help that can go to the people who it was meant for. Also if they do need the help and it’s not available in their area then they would be better served if it was known there was a need in that area as their may be others in a simmilar situation who are going with out because no one was aware if the need.

Exactly @Lightlyseared . Our area has pantries in every town and everyone in all areas is covered by at least one. If they tell us of a problem that they have with the food pantry in their area we relay that information and try to help solve the problem.

@wilma: Does your charity have a policy of denying people who collect or try to collect from several sites? It might be that’s what she’s up to. Does the charity have an internal HR to post this question to? You don’t have to single that lady out but the situation is bound to happen and there’s probably a protocol to protect the charity backed by local law.

As an aside, this is why it’s not a bad idea to avoid grants from the government whenever possible… they always have strings attached and those often have criminal consequences.

All @wilma and her group want to do is help people by giving them food… including folks that are transient in some way, with no real current address and only a past for reference. And here she is spending cycles worried about legal ramifications. Ugh.

@Neizvestnaya If people make a habit of abusing the services by going to multiple food pantries, or selling the food that they are given, or lying about their need or identity and address, then they are denied services, but only to the extent that they are breaking the rules or policies. They would still be able to get food from the pantry that is supposed to serve them. It would be harder for them to get it because they would have to have more proof of need and identity, but as @Lightlyseared said, they are reducing the amount of help that we can give other folks who do follow the rules.
There is communication between the different service organizations. We eventually find out who the scammers are. We try to curb the scamming but also try to help them if they have legitimate need. It is as @robmandu says we have to spend time and energy worrying about legal ramifications, when we would rather be spending time and energy stocking shelves and filling bellies.
I did find out that she has not lived at the address that she gave us for over 4 years, and has been living with her parents for over 2 years.