photo by: Austin Hornbostel/Journal-World

Just Food's home at 1000 E. 11th St. is pictured Friday, March 24, 2023.

As demand for food banks has soared, Lawrence-based Just Food has seen its staff numbers nearly cut in half as multiple employees have either quit or been terminated in the last six months.

The Journal-World spoke with three former employees of the food bank who confirmed that at least eight employees have departed the food bank in the last half year, but at least six employees have left since August.

Maggie Bashore, a former communications and creative manager with Just Food, told the Journal-World she worked at the nonprofit for about a year, before leaving in July 2025 for a different work opportunity.

Bashore said she felt that the leadership of the organization was “inconsistent,” which she said created tension and mistrust in the office. Bashore said there were problems with some employees not consistently showing up for work, which created stress on the remaining staff.

“We all felt just overworked and just overwhelmed,” Bashore said.

The former employees told the Journal-World that Just Food typically operated with a staff of 12 or 13 employees, but after the significant number of departures had been operating with closer to seven employees.

The Journal-World asked the organization for the specific number of employees that have left the organization this year. Carson Levine, the president of Just Food’s board of directors, declined to provide a number, saying the food bank’s policy is to not publicly comment on individual employee matters. Levine did note the organization had recently hired two new full-time staff members, but did not provide a current headcount of Just Food’s staff.

Aundrea Walker, the executive director of Just Food, told the Journal-World the nonprofit has experienced some “staff transitions over the past year,” but that change is a natural part of any growing organization. Walker said the food bank has used the departures as a chance to reflect and to align the current staff around the mission of fighting hunger and building a more resilient food system.

“Just Food is evolving to meet increasing community needs and new realities in food access during unprecedented times,” Walker said.

Walker is the fourth executive director for the organization since mid-2022. Longtime director Elizabeth Keever left the organization for a job with another nonprofit in May 2022. Keever, who gave the food bank approximately three months notice of her resignation, was replaced by an interim director. That interim director, Brett Salsbury, left Just Food in October before a new director was hired. About two months later, Just Food hired Brett Hartford as its new executive director, but he remained on the job for about seven months. In June 2023, Just Food confirmed Hartford was no longer with the organization.

Walker, who had worked at the food bank for eight years, was hired as interim director in June 2023, and eventually was chosen as the organization’s new leader.

The recent decrease in staffing comes at a time when Just Food has had to meet surging demand during the period of disruptions to the food safety net caused by the government shutdown and a suspension of SNAP payments. Bashore said that several of the employees who left were in director-level positions that were crucial to key parts of Just Food’s operations.

Despite the staffing turnover and the increased demand because of the disruptions, Levine, the president of Just Food’s board, said the nonprofit’s operations have not suffered.

“I don’t feel like services have been disrupted at all,” Levine said.

Levine said she has volunteered with Just Food since 2020 and has seen many staff changes during that time. She also said the nonprofit’s structure also has changed quite a bit over the time she has been involved as it adjusts to meet community needs, so the makeup of the staff can fluctuate.

Levine said that in recent weeks the community has provided the food bank a lot of support. She said under the leadership of Walker, Just Food last month was a partner in creating a fund through the Douglas County Community Foundation, which “has been instrumental in raising funds to feed local families and strengthen collaboration among community organizations.” Chip Blaser, the executive director of the foundation, previously said it had forwarded $77,995 to Just Food in donations and other grants through that fund, as the Journal-World reported.

Levine said Walker is “an amazing executive director” and the board supports her leadership of the organization. She said as the food bank enters its busiest time of the year, it is proud to be there for neighbors who look to the food bank for support.

“Our focus is on ensuring that every family in Douglas County has access to nutritious food and a joyful meal around the table,” Levine said.