Media: Board orders Toidupank audit

The board of an Estonian-Dutch charity has called for an audit into the activities of Eesti Toidupank, a food bank which operates nationwide, over complaints on funding from some of the bank's regional outlets, Delfi reports.
The board of SA Eesti-Hollandi Heategevusfond, which oversees Toidupank, literally "food bank," commissioned the operational audit, Delfi said.
The Ministry of Social Affairs, which has provided support to Toidupank to the tune of millions of euros, says it is also keeping a close eye on the institution.
Spokesperson for the SA Eesti-Hollandi Heategevusfond board, Katrin Bats, told Delfi: "The board believes that thoroughly reviewing the foundation's activities to identify how such a situation might have arisen, is needed."
"For this reason an operational audit was recommended," Bats, who is also head of corporate responsibility at supermarket Rimi, went on.
The situation followed eight regional food banks informed the Ministry of Social Affairs about issues of payment of operational funds.
The regional food banks said they had not been paid agreed in the tender their operational funds for two-and-a-half months of the current tender period.
The Ministry of Social Affairs confirmed to Delfi that it has been looking at Eesti Toidupank and its compliance with related tenders.
Meanwhile evening paper Õhtuleht reported on Wednesday that it was through state procurement that the Estonian-Dutch Charity Foundation SA Eesti-Hollandi Heategevusfond began to earn profits, while local partners, ie. the regional food banks, claimed they were struggling to get by.
The foundation's profits in 2020 were reported at €560,000, for instance.
Piet Boerefijn, head of, told Õhtuleht that they have set aside funds to ensure that aid does not cease at any time, due to unforeseen circumstances.
Eesti Toidupank has been in operation since March 2010 and is a member of the European Federation of Food Banks (FEBA).
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Editor: Mari Peegel, Andrew Whyte
Source: Delfi, Õhtuleht