Claims and counter-claims continue at the Tri-Area Food Bank, as former volunteers voice concerns about food safety while current association leadership allege theft perpetrated by previous food bank managers.

Former food bank volunteer Penny Condoll contacted The Leader on May 14 about a health department inspection at the food bank. “I’m reaching out to you today because John [Laird, former Tri-Area Food Bank manager] and I now have some really serious current concerns about food safety, limited food supplies for clients and volunteer safety at Tri-Area Food Bank,” wrote Condoll.

What she described as a surprise inspection of the food bank by the county public health department generated ”some pretty upsetting findings,” Condoll wrote. “Huge amounts of stored food needed to be disposed of because of ‘severe rat infestation,’ ‘foods in refrigeration trailer 44 to 45 degrees with doors left open,’ ‘cut fruit in refrigeration trailer was moldy.’”

Patricia Hennessy, executive director of the Jefferson County Food Bank Association, said Condoll’s allegation of a “surprise” inspection was false. “The inspection was not a surprise; it was scheduled by me.”

Hennessy said she “called Hal-Wayne (a county health department inspector) and asked him to come down. We’ve been working on this problem [rats] together, along with Orkin, for months. We’re working on this because food safety and the safety of our clients is paramount.”

“Hal-Wayne was surprised that it had gotten as bad as it had, but they did not shut us down,” she said.

Hennessy said that Laird, the previous volunteer manager, knew about it. “We threw away contaminated food. We did the right thing. We did what the health department asked us to do. We are working to completely seal the foundation of the building to rat proof it. This is a problem we need to address head on, and that is exactly what we’re doing.”

Further, she said, none of the contaminated food had been stored near, or had come into contact with, food slated for food bank patrons.

Hennessy pointed the finger at disgruntled ex-volunteers and managers, who she said are “engaged in a destructive smear campaign that is only making it harder for the agency to take care of those in need.”

Theft prompted audit

She also said on the record that they had discovered theft. “The reason we’re doing an audit [initiated on April 18] is because we have evidence that some of our previous food bank managers were stealing money from the organization.”

Hennessy said she knew that would “set donors off, but that is the truth. We will take the findings as they come. We’re doing this audit thanks to the new leadership on our board. There were past board members that asked for an audit and it wasn’t done.” It was unclear whether she was talking about the April 18 audit. 

Hennessy also acknowledged that current food bank managers “need to hear these complaints, but they are talking about us, not with us,” and called the complaints “destructive and slanderous.” She noted that the food bank serves 3,200 households a month. “We must be doing something right,” she said.

The Tri-Area Food Bank is part of the Jefferson County Food Bank Association (JCFBA), a thirty-year-old, volunteer-led organization that serves households monthly in Port Townsend, Brinnon, Quilcene, and Port Hadlock, according to Hennessy.

Condoll, for her part, said her concerns were so grave, and so many people had contacted her and Laird, that they felt they needed to take action. They took it to the board, writing letters  imploring them to recognize health, safety, personnel and volunteer management issues and to take corrective action. Condoll said she and Laird also recently met with Rep. Steve Tharinger, shared their letters and concerns and asked him for help.

“Our true intention is not to hurt and especially not close the foodbank,” Condoll said. “Our hope was that with the information in the letters, the board would be able to make the changes needed.  We received little to no response to the letters we sent and now we continue to get distressing messages from the current volunteers.”

The health department inspection and subsequent allegations are the most recent incidents in a string of events that have rocked the agency and its volunteer community.

On April 9, Tri-Area Food Bank managers John and Sue Laird were ousted from their positions. John Laird said he was given the choice of resigning or being sued. During the ouster, Laird said the food bank association seized he and his wife’s personal computers, and as of May 19, the equipment had not been returned.

Hennessy, in a previous interview with Leader reporter Andrea Scott, said she was not present when the Lairds were asked to resign, but confirmed that the Lairds were given the option to do so. She denied that the Lairds were threatened with legal action. John Laird, she said, was not fired, but chose to resign when confronted with concerns about financial operations at the food bank he oversaw.

“This is a serious personnel matter,” Hennessy said, “and we are working through some very serious concerns.”

Initial conflict

According to Condoll and Laird, the agency’s troubles began in November 2023 when Hennessy became the agency’s executive director and a new board of directors aligned with Hennessy was installed in March 2024. Condoll and Laird allege that Hennessy and the new board members ushered in an era of secrecy, upheaval and mismanagement of finances, operations and volunteers.

On April 20, Stephen Mader, a former volunteer with the Tri-Area Food Bank, filed a complaint with the IRS in an effort to trigger an audit of the non-profit. The complaint targets the organization’s new leadership and alleges a lack of transparency, organizational upheaval, violations of bylaws, operational ineptitude, and wasteful spending of donations and federal assistance. The complaint specifically names Hennessy and acting President Craig Ushida, alleging that the issues listed began when Hennessy and Ushida took control.

Mader said he worked as a volunteer for four years and knew the Lairds as effective managers.

Mader’s complaint alleges that once Hennessy took over operations, she began denying requests from managers and volunteers for meeting minutes and financial statements. Instead, Mader alleges, that Ushida and Hennessy told volunteers the information was available on a “need-to-know basis” and that they didn’t need to know. The complaint also alleges that five former board members, managers or volunteers were threatened with legal action if they did not “cease all communication with the food bank, its volunteers and its premises.”

Hennessy said the food bank board decided an audit was necessary prior to Mader’s complaint.

“The board decided over a month ago to do a forensic audit,” Hennessy said. “It will be a thorough audit that goes through all our financial dealings. It’s going to take a deep dive. We asked for an audit before Mader asked for his. Our board has asked for audits in the past. It was a formal board vote on April 18 to conduct an audit and we are in the process of finding the right person. We will probably work with an agency from outside the area. We’re doing our due diligence and I’m sorry it’s making some folks uncomfortable.”

Hennessy said she anticipates auditors examining the organization’s financial practices seven years back.

Some sources close to the food bank allege that food hasn’t been delivered, and that food bank staff is buying food at retail prices instead of relying on existing relationships with food suppliers. Hennessy has denied such actions and any such problems with deliveries.

“We’re not running out of food and we’re not losing resources,” Hennessy said.

Though the bylaws of the food bank association state that whistleblowers are not to be retaliated against, Mader said he is concerned that he might face retaliation or retribution. Mader alleges in his complaint that the organization’s bylaws have been removed from the website.

Hennessy said the bylaws had been removed and are being updated with language that accounts for executive director and other personnel. Hennessy explained that she was hired by the board, and meeting minutes reflect this, but the bylaws had not been updated to reflect the executive director’s position within the organization.

Michael Zimmerman, a five-year Tri-Area food bank volunteer said that when volunteers met recently with Uchida and Hennessy regarding the dismissals, they were told that the situation was a personnel matter between the food bank and Lairds.

Following the Lairds’ resignations, Hennessy stated the board of directors is ‘conducting an immediate and thorough review’ of all operational and personnel policies and procedures. Hennessy said the process would not interfere with the food bank’s operations and distribution efforts.

Leader reporter Andrea Scott contributed to this story.