The state review of Balanced Nutrition Inc., a nonprofit owned by North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson’s wife, found operating and administrative issues while implementing a child care food program. The findings were deemed politically motivated by Robinson’s campaign, who claimed the review was targeting them since Robinson announced his bid for governor. The program was asked to correct the issues by early August to remain qualified for future participation. The state also ordered Balanced Nutrition to repay over $132,000 for disallowed expenses reimbursed to child care centers and homes.
Balanced Nutrition has been instrumental in helping child care centers and homes qualify for the free- and reduced-meal program, file claims for providers to get reimbursed for meals, and ensure compliance with program requirements. Robinson, who is the Republican candidate for governor, is running against Democratic Attorney General Josh Stein. Meanwhile, Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper is term-limited from running again in November. Despite the findings of the compliance review, Robinson’s campaign maintains that Balanced Nutrition vehemently disagrees with the results and plans to challenge them on appeal.
The state Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees the Child and Adult Care Food Program, stated that operators like Balanced Nutrition are required to participate in compliance reviews every two to three years. The recent findings from the review highlighted new and repeated problems, including lax paperwork and inaccurate filing of claims. The review also discovered that Balanced Nutrition filed reimbursement claims for a child care center for eight months when the facility reported they did not file any claim with the nonprofit. In response to the campaign’s statement, DHHS emphasized that they followed protocol in conducting the review and issuing the notice of deficiencies.
A detailed audit report of Balanced Nutrition’s finances in 2021 showed that the nonprofit incurred over $1.38 million in expenses, with the majority going towards programs and services. The report also indicated that Robinson had previously worked with his wife at Balanced Nutrition before entering elected office as lieutenant governor in 2021. Robinson’s memoir credits the operation with providing stability to his family and highlights their work within the nonprofit. The audit report was provided by an independent auditor, BAS Partners, which stated that Balanced Nutrition complied with the necessary compliance requirements for its major state programs.
Despite the challenges faced by Balanced Nutrition following the compliance review, the nonprofit continues to maintain its mission of serving child care providers and ensuring they receive the necessary support for meal programs. The ongoing appeal process will determine the next steps for Balanced Nutrition and its involvement in the Child and Adult Care Food Program. As the political campaign for governor heats up, the issues surrounding Balanced Nutrition and the review findings have become a topic of contention between the opposing parties. It remains to be seen how this situation will impact Robinson’s bid for governor and the future of Balanced Nutrition in North Carolina.
