It is very disheartening what is happening at the Jefferson County Foodbank Association (JCFBA). The Quilcene Foodbank is in need of a new building. The JCFBA is in the hands of some very incompetent people. They are doing nothing but misleading and lying to the community, keeping information behind closed doors. There has been a lot of talk, but no action. The news article on the JCFBA website states that they will be “moving forward” with the new Quilcene Foodbank building, I do hope this is true. Originally the JCFBA stopped the building of the new Quilcene Foodbank due to lack of funds and that an audit had to be done. According to that aforementioned article an audit has been done. In reading the article the findings are questionable and vague. So questionable and vague in fact, that Patricia Hennessy said the new building “will likely cost well over $1 million to complete.” Well of course it will cost over $1 million because they will be paying a contractor, a Kitsap County Consulting Firm to find said contractor, and all the materials. There was no need for a consulting firm before. If there were not enough funds to finish the Quilcene Foodbank building this past spring, Where did they all of a sudden find the money? Were the funds there all along and they current administration didn’t want to admit it? There had been an amazing local contractor who was doing the work. It was a great community project with local contractors and workforce. Why outsource an amazing local resource?

If this new building is “moving forward”, time is of the essence, fall is here, and the weather will not wait for anyone.

The executive director and the board need to make this building happen or resign.

Mayla Siemion

Quilcene