POULSBO — A tearful Sharon Kirkpatrick announced her resignation as North Kitsap Fishline executive director Wednesday at the food bank’s monthly board meeting.

Her resignation, which is effective Monday, comes after longtime client advocate Eunice Mann quit in March and volunteer coordinator Julie Beer left earlier in the year.

Beer has been replaced by Ben Pecora, but Fishline has yet to fill Mann’s position and no timetable has been set for finding Kirkpatrick’s replacement.

Citing a disconnect between the full-time staff and the board, Kirkpatrick told the board and board president Mary Barker the last straw came when she lost her ability to make personnel decisions.

“I feel like I’m leaving a lot left undone and my last official duty will be the postal food drive on Saturday,” Kirkpatrick said.

When she accepted the position 17 months ago, Kirkpatrick said she saw some immediate needs that had to be addressed in order for Fishline to fulfill its mission to the community.

“I had to create an atmosphere that would appreciate and treat our clients with the dignity and respect they deserve while meeting their needs,” she said. “People come for that as much as they do for food.”

An increase in the food bank’s client advocacy services and the awareness of those programs was also important, because many clients need more than just food, she said.

To that end, an informational DVD was produced, which Kirkpatrick said she was able to take into the community, show what Fishline was doing and ask for support.

“I applied for grants, I worked with the Rotary, the Lions, the Masons, the Kitsap County Food Bank Coalition and also the Navy,” she said.

Through her efforts with the Navy, Fishline became a more prominent part of the Combined Federal Campaign, a service-wide fund-raiser that allows service members to give to whatever charity they choose, she said.

Sailors from Subase Bangor became regulars in helping with handyman chores and improvements to Fishline’s building as numerous work parties were organized to do everything from striping parking stalls to powerwashing the building.

Sprint also came through with a donation that allowed Fishline to upgrade its computer system and automate many of its reports and client files as well, Kirkpatrick said.

However, in the midst of all those accomplishments, several unresolved issues led to her resignation, she said.

“I saw some specific administrative needs in order for this food bank to continue to grow in a positive way to serve clients,” she said, noting that there has to be an equity between the growth of need for the food bank’s services and its structure, staffing and organization.

“I felt like I had done all I could and it was time for me to move on and let someone else step in,” Kirkpatrick said.

Word of Kirkpatrick’s resignation didn’t come as a total shock to Fishline’s board of directors as it was informed of her decision a week earlier, said board president Mary Barker.

“We are going to meet with staff next week to develop a plan for finding someone who will fit in and can move us forward,” Barker said.