‘Support the Soupman’ is No More, Founder Accused of Taking Money

The "Support the Soupman" charity that helped Maine's homeless has disbanded, after accusations of misappropriation of funds.

Who is the Soupman?

Peter Kelleher became known as "The Soupman" about five years ago, when he started traveling around New England, delivering goods to members of the homeless population. Kelleher started his mission after his son, Travis, died of an opioid overdose in 2016 while experiencing homelessness.

Travis died in Bangor, so that became one of the Soupman's main stops. Kelleher would collect donations and put together backpacks full of clothing and personal care supplies that he would, then, hand out to the homeless. In 2020, the Soupman donated a 3-stall outdoor shower that was set up outside the Brick Church on Union Street, where members of the homeless population could get cleaned up.

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Why is the Organization Being Dissolved?

But now, scandal is rocking this organization that has done so much good for many years. The Support the Soupman Board of Directors is liquidating the charity and has accused Kelleher of misappropriating funds. In a post on the Support the Soupman Facebook page, the Administrator for the charity says the issue dates back to 2019. An Ombudsman report, that was shared on the Support the Soupman Facebook page, puts the total money that Kelleher allegedly embezzled at $6,127.25. It goes on to say that Kelleher has paid back $3,408 of the total. $3,000 of that was money he received by selling an industrial freezer that was allegedly 'given to Peter personally and not STS,' according to the report.

What Will Happen to the Organization's Current Assets?

Cyr says the next step will be to divide up the remaining assets of the Support the Soupman charity. He says those assets will be given to two charitable organizations that work to support the homeless population.

Kelleher has taken to his Facebook page to dispute the claims made by Cyr, who he says is his nephew.