Fredericton Community Kitchen fighting hunger and management issues

The Fredericton Community Kitchen feeds Fredericton's hungry with hot meals every day and is fighting back after supplies got dangerously low earlier this week.

They are not a food bank, but when the shelves were bare, they put out a call to the public and the community delivered.

The shelves were overflowing within twenty four hours.

The kitchen gets regular shipments from donors, like the Fredericton Co-op where Andrew Duffy is assistant produce manager.

"We been donating fruits and vegetables for the soup kitchen now for roughly 15 or 20 years," he said.

Duffy says usually once a week, on Thursdays, they send stock to them.

CBC's recent Feed a Family campaign brought the kitchen $21,000. In 2014, the kitchen received more than $320,000 in donations and government funding.

In theory, the kitchen should be doing well.

Fredericton Coun. Mike O'Brien says the organization isn't to blame for the bare shelves.

Management an issue

"They have a board of directors and a general manager," he said.

"I know they're in flux right now looking for a new general manager and perhaps a new cook. So let's chalk some of it up to a gap in management."

Management has been an issue the past year.

After George Piers, a long-time administrator, retired, he was replaced by Aimée Foreman.

It was only a matter of months until she was succeeded by Arlene Basker.

Then Jan Lockhart, a board member, took over and vacated — all in the span of 12 months.

Piers is now back in the job, temporarily.

Bart Myers, the board president, says at this stage, the kitchen is trying to plan long-term.

"Having an executive director, having a kitchen manager that provides high standards in the preparation and the safety of food, is one of the critical things that we're stepping up to the plate right now on," he said.

CBC News attempted to get in touch with all of the former directors, but no one would comment on frequent changes in management.