The South Central Kansas Area Agency on Aging released a statement Thursday afternoon involving the termination of contracts with Everfull to provide senior nutrition services in the ten-county area it serves.
Executive Director Jodi Whitmore said the decision to terminate the Everfull contract early was not made lightly but came after extensive discussions by the SCKAAA Board of Directors and a sincere effort to explore all options for continued collaboration.
Whitmore said factors behind the decision include what she described as untimely utilization of funds allocated specifically for congregate meals, along with delinquent audits that made it impossible for SCKAAA to request a reallocation of federal and state funds under Everfull’s existing agreements.
SCKAAA is actively working to establish alternate arrangements that meet the immediate needs of area seniors under its current restraints, while also putting into place a sustainable and responsible plan for the future. To that end, the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services has announced it has provided SCKAAA $100,000 in emergency funding to allow congregate and home delivered meal services to continue.
Whitmore said they want the communities to know SCKAAA is doing everything possible to minimize disruption and ensure seniors continue to receive the support they deserve.
Everfull Executive Director Charles Johnston issued a statement of his own late Thursday afternoon, in which he expressed dismay in the announcements made by SCKAAA and KDADS related to the contract cancellation. In particular, Johnston said he was surprised that while the two entities would not share with them or their participants the reasons for the contract cancellation, they did so in separate media releases.
In his statement, Johnston explained the funding process they go through, where each March they submit a budget in response to an RFP for a fiscal year that runs from October 1 through September 30. Given the current environment where inflation is impacting all aspects of their operation it is very difficult to project expenses 16 months out.
He also noted all monies were spent on program expenses including food, supplies, staff wages, and administrative expenses. In March, they reported to SCKAAA they were expecting to go through their allocated funds for the current fiscal year by June 30 and asking for additional assistance to fill the gap and/or flexibility to change operations, such as closing central kitchens and combining sites close to each other in the counties.
Those requests were not addressed until the first week of May. After three months of attempting to work through complex financial issues, SCKAAA made their decision June 3rd to begin termination of the contracts, which earlier statements said were verbally communicated to Johnston.
Johnston addressed a number of fiscal issues that have plagued Everfull, previously known as Aging Projects, Inc., including their being delinquent in audit report submissions back to the 2018-19 fiscal year. SCKAAA was aware of this and continued to allocate funds to the organization.
Everfull’s current leadership team came on board in the spring of 2023, at a time when the organization was in severe financial difficulties. At that time, Johnston said they quickly realized the administrative staff in prior administrations was not able to handle the responsibilities of their important position, which he said SCKAAA was aware of including monthly reports which they are now current on.
He also added Everfull hired a professional accounting firm to observe their financial activity and to monitor any potential issues, which he said SCKAA was also aware of. It had also provided additional information requested during April and May including direct access to their financial reports and expenses, and that they have answered every request made of them. The Everfull statement also pointed out they are better off than they have been, a reality SCKAAA has acknowledged.
Johnston said they view this contract cancellation as a significant departure of past practices as SCKAAA has always been able to backfill an overage as has existed over the last several years. They also rely on their area agencies on aging to provide financial oversight and support when they have concerns over financial issues.
In closing, the statement said they are disappointed in the change in treatment being experienced by Everfull in what has been a very vulnerable time for non-profit organizations, expressing home for a successful resolution.
