| UPDATE (Gassaway) - The Mountaineer Food Bank board of directors has terminated the contract of interim executive director Dave Karr.
Karr had been appearing on state-wide media regarding the agency being in financial crisis, facing closure, and had been asking for financial support to keep WV's largest food bank in operation.
During an emergency meeting Monday night, the food bank board decided that it would terminate Karr's contract.
Mountaineer Food Bank is reportedly running a deficit of $250,000 and was forced to lay off 17 full-time employees.
Multiple problems have plagued the food bank since its computer system crashed last July, with the loss of all financial data, according to Karr.
It's executive director since 1981, Carla Nardella, left her position in December.
The board has selected a three-member team of employees to help manage the organization, which serves more than 400 agencies in 48 counties. It was founded in 1981.
ORIGINAL STORY - The Mountaineer Food Bank in Gassaway is facing closure, with funds to keep people employed for two pay peroids to deliver food to 48 West Virginia counties.
Dave Karr, interim director of the Mountaineer Food Bank in Gassaway, said the agency is in "crisis management" after it was discovered that the food bank is critically low in funds.
Mountaineer Food Bank has four semi-trucks for pickups and deliveries to its more than 400 agencies in 48 counties, but now has only two employees who work as full-time drivers after the agency was forced to lay off 17 members of its staff last week.
When 17 workers at the Mountaineer Food Bank in Gassaway were notified that last week would be their last week of paid work, something amazing happened in the midst of something terrible â nine of them asked to stay with the food bank as volunteers.
Karr, the interim director of the MFB said, "It's the hardest-working crew I've ever been around, they don't have much, but I'll tell you what â they understand...the Mountaineer Food Bank spirit is here. It's a gut wrencher."
Multiple problems have plagued the food bank. Last July, its computer system crashed, resulting in a costly fix and the loss of the agency's previous financial information.
The food bank established a governing board shortly after in August, and its executive director since 1981, Carla Nardella, left her position in December.
Karr said he doesn't suspect there was any ill intent, but believes the agency had been operating inefficiently for a while.
"I don't have a good database to work from; all of that is gone," Karr said. "You're really starting over with what little information you've collected over two months. In financial terms, it's just not good to not have records."
Karr, who has more than 30 years experience managing food banks in Michigan, was asked to come in to assess the situation. By the time he had a handle on the food bank's finances, it was almost too late, and now MFB is in danger of closing unless the agency can both cut costs and generate more funding.
| 
