Brickbat: Donating to a Good Cause

When the COVID-19 pandemic first hit last spring, Louis Goffinet, a teacher in Connecticut, started a Facebook fundraiser to buy groceries for families affected by the disease. He raised more than $40,000, which he used to fund 140 family grocery trips, 125 family dinners, 80 Thanksgiving pies, 31 Thanksgiving dinners, and rental assistance for five families, as well as helping 20 people buy Christmas gifts for their children. And this February, the IRS sent Goffinet a 1099-K form, telling him the money he raised was taxable income. He owes $16,000, but with the help of an accountant he hopes to fight that bill.