HomeMy WebLinkAbout051724 email - Serious concerns regarding current situation at Tri-Area FoodBankALERT: BE CAUTIOUS This email originated outside the organization. Do not open attachments or click on links if you are not expecting them.
Good Morning Commisioners,
Prior to 4 weeks ago, I had been volunteer/lead at Tri Area Foodbank in Port Hadlock for almost 4 years. The previous managers, John and Sue Laird and I, are deeply concerned about
what we feel are some very important issues related to current circumstances at the Foodbanks in Jefferson County.
John and Sue were both surprisingly dismissed from their positions at Tri-Area Food Bank April 9th. Myself and 7 other volunteers have since voluntarily resigned. Several more have
indicated to us they are close to quitting. I have attached letters that John and I both wrote to the Jefferson County Food Bank Association, JCFBA, Board of Directors over the last
couple of weeks. They describe our experience with JCFBA over the last 6 months. Our hope was they would change their course of action or at least ensure that the current Health Department
Complaints and L&I complaints were being addressed. They have not. We received little to no response to the letters we sent and now we continue to get distressing messages from the
current volunteers. We feel that we have run out of avenues to make change and so we are reaching out to you.
Our biggest concerns in this moment are around the safety of food delivered at the foodbank, volunteer safety/retention and recent food shortages due to recent changes within Jefferson
County Food Bank Association, JCFBA. These are not issues that simply affect the JCFBA Board, but we believe they are currently having consequences for the Tri-Area community that relies
on food banks to be there for them. We are bringing these issues to your attention as John, Sue and myself continue to get texts, pictures and phone calls from volunteers that chose
to stay and they are also deeply concerned about these issues.
Since writing the letter, I have also been in contact with the inspector who handled the Feb 13, 2024 Health Department complaint (case # COM-FOOD2024-00001). The Health Department did
a follow-up inspection at Tri-Area Foodbank this last Tuesday with some pretty upsetting findings. Huge amounts of stored food needed to be disposed of by Olympic Disposal because of
"severe rat infestation", "foods in refrigeration trailer 44-45F with doors left open" "cut fruit in refrigeration trailer was moldy." This is directly off of the reports that I received
from the Health Department. Without correcting these issues, there is the possibility that the foodbank will be shut down. That deeply concerns us.
I will also share that John and I have met with Rep. Tharinger last Tuesday who is aware of the situation and encouraged us to bring this information to the attention of the community
through the newspaper. We have reached out to the Leader and the Peninsula Daily who have ran previous articles on this subject.
Lastly, I'm happy to provide any other information that might help you to understand the current situation. Many current volunteers at Tri-Area Food Bank have told me they also would
be willing to share their experiences. Thank you for taking the time to read this email and hopefully the letters submitted. Please feel free to contact myself or John Laird with
any questions.
Sincerely,
Penny Condoll
253-426-5735
John Laird's phone number is 360-215-0012 and his email is PortBHadLock90@outlook.com