Numana fires director & staff, refocuses on anti-hunger mission

July 17, 2012|By Brian Heap | Factfinder 12 Investigator

(EL DORADO, Kan.) — An El Dorado non-profit promises to be "more committed than ever to a lean operation", days after firing the director and his entire 11 member staff.

Numana co-founder Rick McNary was let go by the board of directors last Friday.

The non-profit organizes large-scale food packing events using volunteers and then ships the meals to impoverished countries.

Board member Mike Kriwiel would not give specifics about the reasons for the restructuring. "We're refocusing on the mission," he said. The mission being to feed the starving and empower others to do the same.

Numana has been packing meals since 2009. McNary said it was a starving little girl in Central America who inspired him to start the project.

But now the mission will go on without him.

Kriwiel said Numana got off to a great start with phenomenal growth, led mostly by Salvation Army funding in 2010, following the earthquake that devastated Haiti.

Eventually the money stopped coming in and Numana was forced to start doing its own fundraising. Kriwiel said what was needed now is a "self sustaining business model that made sense."

Kriwiel wouldn't comment on what led up to the firings. All the employees, including McNary were given a chance to reapply for their jobs. Six people did and were rehired. McNary chose not to reapply, Kriwiel said.

Factfinder 12 took a closer look at some of Numana's tax exemption records. They show the non-profit ended 2009 with total assets of nearly $32,000.

In 2010, after the infusion cash for Haiti, Numana's contributions and grants jumped to nearly $5.4 million. After expenses, Numana had $2.4 million in assets and the end of 2010.

Those same records show McNary earned no money in 2009 and earned more than $86,000 in 2010.

Two voice messages for McNary were not returned.

Changes made at Numana.

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