My Nonprofit Reviews

A Call for Truth, Law Enforcement, and Integrity: What You Deserve to Know About Fraud at Meals By Grace

Dear Media Friends, State and Federal and Authorities:

This is not a letter that we never imagined having to write.

For many years, We have watched, with hope, as the organization known as Meals by Grace painted itself in a light of compassion and faith claiming to nourish the hungry, serve the broken, and honor God with its mission. But today, we must tell you the truth, however painful, about what lies beneath the surface. As longtime community servants, we believe in the dignity of every child, the honesty of every mission, and the responsibility we all bear to steward well the resources entrusted to us.

The Organization is not what it claims to be -

Meals by Grace claims to be a faith-based nonprofit whose mission is to serve hungry children in our backyard of Cumming, GA. But behind the carefully crafted social media posts and emotional galas lies a broken system of fraud, mismanagement, unethical behavior, financial misuse, and deep betrayal of community trust. Now, let's present a comprehensive overview of the facts.

Let me walk you through what many people have witnessed.

Gift Cards Intended for Children -

During the 2024 holiday season, generous companies donated gift cards meant for the children’s cards that were intended to bring smiles and dignity to families during one of the toughest seasons of the year. But instead of delivering those cards, Jaclyn, the staff therapist, refused to distribute them, citing “uneven dollar amounts.” She then concealed their location. When staff members asked about them later, they met with silence and the disturbing truth was revealed: some of the cards had been used for Jaclyn’s personal benefit.

When staff began checking on the clients Jaclyn claimed to be managing, it was discovered that many had never even met her particularly Hispanic families, which make up over 30% of Meals by Grace’s clientele. Jaclyn speaks no Spanish. She never attempted to use interpreters, never showed up consistently, and never reported honest progress. Yet she draws a salary from donor funds, all while operating her private practice Hope and Growth Counseling out of the nonprofit’s facility.

Yes, that’s right: a licensed therapist, paid by donor funds to serve families, was running her personal for-profit counseling business from Meals by Grace’s offices on Keith Bridge Road and using office hours to do so. This is not just unethical, it’s illegal under IRS nonprofit regulations. You will notice on the online business listing for Hope and Growth that Ms. Barnum lists Keith Bridge Road as her office location. She alleviated the complete address to ensure that she would deceive anyone that might discover that she was using the 3540 Keith Bridge address of Meals by Grace. So she only lists Keith Bridge in her business listing for potential clients. Everyone at Meals by Grace is aware that the founders allow her to use the donated office space as her personal business for client meetings. By the way, the founders recently made her a 'partner' in the nonprofit scheme which is why they terminated several employees that reported her abuse and fraud at Meals by Grace.

And what did the founders do about Ms. Jaclyn's fraud?

Nothing.

In fact, when staff began asking questions and raising concerns to Stephen and Suellen, several employees were fired, and the rest were forced to sign NDAs (Non-Disclosure Agreements) to cover up these practices. Let that sink in that the organization used intimidation and legal threats to silence whistleblowers instead of correcting wrongs.

Moral Corruption - Hot Cakes in the Kitchen

The Daniels publicly depict themselves as Christian leaders, praying over meals and quoting Scripture. But multiple board members and staff witnessed a shocking and scandalous affair between Suellen and the husband of Nancy, an affair that destroyed relationships and morale within the team. Still, there was no accountability.

Leaders like Carmen looked the other way. No one on the board stepped in to address these systemic problems that robbed the children of their right to a quality service as promised by the organization. Instead of grace and truth, this is a case of fraud and abuse. When a culture of corruption is encouraged and accepted the people that we hurt most are children, families, and donors who were left to carry the weight of empty promises and heavy lies..

FINANCIAL MISMANAGEMENT ON A SHOCKING SCALE

Of the $1.7 million raised in 2023, only $44,484 a mere 2.5% went to food. Meanwhile, $651,000 went to payroll. And in 2024, payroll is projected to jump to $962,000 nearly half of all revenue. That means half of your donation is going directly into salaries, not service.

Meals by Grace spent $75,000 on building and maintaining two websites mealsbygrace.org and ministriesofgrace.com both of which say nearly the same thing. This same marketing vendor alone has charged over $88,000, and no one knows what they produced in Social Media. However, he understands how to manipulate and flirt with Suellen Daniels. Based upon the 'hot cakes' incident mentioned earlier we understand that she likes to flirt.

Meanwhile, the warehouse workers who are the people actually serving families, hauling boxes, and sweating through Georgia heat are sleeping in their cars in the parking lot because the organization cannot afford to pay them a living wage. The owners Stephen and Suellen feel like they are doing him a favor by allowing him to cook in the kitchen and sleep in the parking lot.

And as for the food? Much of it is expired, donated leftovers from grocery stores. Why is an organization with a million-dollar budget relying solely on expired food? Where are the fruits and vegetables? Where is the investment in health, dignity, and long-term solutions?

False Statements

You’ve heard the stories: “We serve 15,000 volunteers a year.” But this is a deliberate manipulation of language. What they count are volunteer shifts, not people. Many of those shifts are filled by the same volunteers week after week. In fact, at their most recent gala, they couldn’t even find 10 extra volunteers to help run the event.

They claim the average age of a child served is five. That’s false. It's closer to eleven. Why the exaggeration? To evoke a stronger emotional reaction. To pull at your heartstrings. To pull in your dollars.

A failure to life families from surviving to Thriving

Daniels frequently preaches about “moving families from surviving to thriving.” But where are the job training programs? Mental health support? The life-skills classes? For seven years, Spanish-speaking families remained stuck in the system without communication, without counseling, without direction.

Only recently did Meals by Grace hire someone with social media skills not to serve the families, but to promote the brand. The new admin was asked to call Spanish-speaking families. She was horrified to hear what they had been through the lack of contact, neglect, and confusion all because Jaclyn never spoke their language, never showed up, and never cared about learning.

Truth and Accountability Matters

We write this not out of bitterness, but out of deep love for our community and a moral obligation to the families and donors who deserve better.

We are calling on the Board of Directors, law enforcement and the faith community, and on donors and volunteers to rise up and demand:

A full financial audit and investigation by an independent firm or law enforcement of the financial abuse, Gift Cards, Vendor Contracts and Fraud
Review of Jaclyn Barnum illegally using the nonprofit organization as her personal business to meet with clients without payout leasing fees and double-dipping. She was working on her personal business when she was supposed to be developing personal development plans for the Meals by Grace clients.
Immediate dismissal of any staff using nonprofit resources for personal gain
A public release of how all funds are spent – not in vague percentages, but in line-item detail
New leadership committed to integrity, service, and accountability which exposes board members and Carmen McCauley for being complicit with these fraudulent activities simply because of personal gain and glory.
A new board governance policy that ensures oversight, transparency, and ethical compliance
This is not about vengeance. It’s about justice. It’s about ensuring that the next $1.7 million dollars given by hard-working families in Georgia doesn’t end up in the wrong hands.

Final Thoughts

We are called to protect the vulnerable. To tell the truth when it’s uncomfortable. To love in action, not in words alone. If you’ve ever donated to Meals by Grace, you deserve to know how your money was misused. And if you care about hungry children in Georgia, then we urge you to support organizations that truly feed, serve, and empower families.

This is your time to act.

Don’t let silence protect corruption. Don’t let faith-based language disguise exploitation.

Let’s stand for the truth. Let’s build something better. With respect, courage, and conviction, without fraud.

Dr. K. Smith
University of Georgia – ‘Go Bulldogs’