Staffing troubles continue at the Tri-Area Food Bank, with two more volunteers met by a sheriff and asked to leave on June 25, days after one says she provided an eight-page letter of complaint the week prior.

In the letter, Lisa Storey, a six-year volunteer with the food bank, chronicled alleged incidents of verbal abuse, tirades and tantrums perpetrated by Jefferson County Food Bank Association Executive Director Patricia Hennessy. Storey said she believes she was removed in retaliation for her complaints and the allegations listed in the letter.

The second volunteer, Hannah Stai, said it was never made clear to her why she was being removed from her volunteer position.

“I asked her (Hennessy) a couple times and she said I had to get off the property or she’d have me arrested,” Stai said.

Problems at the food bank first came to light in April, shortly after a new board was put in place and Hennessy elevated to executive director. Former Tri-Area Food Bank managers John and Sue Laird were ousted from their positions on April 9, also with the sheriff dispatched. Fallout from that included allegations of financial mismanagement or even theft on both sides. Hennessy said at that time that the board had approved an outside audit.

She said July 1 that a firm still has not been selected, and that the board was instead reviewing things internally.    

Audio and video from the June 25 incident shows a sheriff’s deputy was present at the ouster. He tells those present he is there to keep the peace.

Stai was given a “termination” letter signed by Hennessy, and in it, Hennessy writes that Stai was not “committed to creating a safe, respectful, and inclusive environment” for co-volunteers, employees, clients and community partners and was therefore being asked to leave.

Stai and Storey remain eligible to patronize the Tri-Area Food Bank as clients.

When asked how many times sheriff’s deputies had been dispatched to the Tri-Area Food Bank, sheriff’s office staff directed the Leader to submit an open records request.

Stai said she had volunteered at the food bank for about a year, but that things took a turn for the worse this spring.

“It was pretty great at first,” Stai said. “But once John and Sue (Laird) were fired, that’s when everything started to go downhill.”

John Laird said he was given the choice of resigning or being sued.

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

Beginning with the Lairds, Hennessy tallied personnel losses at about 10. A separate count places the tally of volunteers close to the Lairds, and disgruntled with Hennessy, at closer to 20.

“The bottom line is that the group that left this organization has become very hostile to this organization,” Hennessy said. “Our clients are getting really freaked out by what these people are saying and what they’re doing.”

Hennessy has publicly accused past volunteers and managers of theft, and said the board voted on April 18 to conduct a forensic audit. A forensic audit searches for evidence of criminal financial activity, such as fraud or embezzlement, that could be used in court.

On July 1, Hennessy said her organization was yet to find an accounting firm to undertake the task. When asked if the food bank association had developed a short list of firms, Hennessy declined to answer.

“Our audit is moving forward,” Hennessy said. “We are preparing paperwork. We need to do our own homework. We’re gathering information, we’re doing a request for proposals.

They have asked us for information, and we’re in the process of identifying an auditor. Our goal is to get it done and to get it done right.”

When asked when the audit might be performed, Hennessy said, “It’s going to be near term, not next year, we’re in the process. We’re not trying to drag this out.”

Hennessy said despite the staffing turmoil, the food bank association is making good on its mission.

“There have been no service disruptions,” Hennessy said. “Not a single distribution day has been missed with distribution. Some days we might have been light on dairy, or light on bread, but we have resources. Our food bank operations are going strong, we have plenty of food and we have plenty of options for food. We are serving 3,300 households a month and our donations are on par. As a network, as a team, we’re really trying to find solutions.”