Bea Gaddy, who runs a well-known soup kitchen and homeless shelter in East Baltimore, says people have been fraudulently collecting money in her name along the Harford and Belair Road corridor in northeast Baltimore.

She notified police, and Gaddy's allegation is being investigated.

Gaddy said area residents told her that two men and a woman have been knocking on doors for several months asking for donations to help fund Gaddy's programs for the homeless. A man who lives on Harford Road told Gaddy that he found a brown envelope in the gutter outside his home Wednesday, Gaddy said.

On the outside of the envelope were the words: "Bea Gaddy To Help The Homeless." Inside were six checks written to Bea Gaddy, she said.

"I can beg for myself," Gaddy said, adding: "I never put anybody out there to collect money for me."

She said the people collecting money apparently prefer cash, but they have also accepted checks so they wouldn't arouse suspicion. One woman told Gaddy that she had given $2, and her neighbor had given $10.

"It's a game these people are playing," she said. "They're just mopping up."

Arlene Jenkins, a police spokesperson, said anyone who is solicited for contributions to aid Gaddy should alert the police department.