Food Elves, Downtown Partnership collect a ton of food!

Food Elves, Partnership Collect A Ton of Food

The Franklin Food Elves and the Franklin Downtown Partnership exceeded their goals for the ‘12 Days of Donating’ campaign this month, collecting nearly twice the food and monetary donations they hoped for to benefit the Franklin Food Pantry. Together the groups donated 2,035 pounds of non perishable items and $4,266 during the 12 day drive.    


According to Anne Marie Bellavance, Executive Director of the Franklin Food Pantry, these donations will help carry the food pantry through this holiday season and into 2012.    


“Based on our calculations, when we combine the weight and the dollar amount it translates into more than 17,000 meals,” says Bellavance.  “We have seen a cascading effect of community support beginning with this drive as well as help printing 250 cookbooks for our clients.  We are so very grateful to be surrounded by such a giving community.”  


The Food Elves expanded their reach this year, placing bins at downtown locations and canvassing neighborhoods throughout town. The result was more than one ton of food and non-perishables collected for the food pantry.  


DCU gave a $1,500 donation and Berry Insurance stepped up with a $1,000 gift. In addition to donations by residents, six downtown businesses, including Dean Bank, Dean College, Jane’s Frames, Printsmart Office Supplies, the Franklin Downtown Partnership and Berry Insurance, had pledged $1,200 in matching funds. The grand total of money raised was $4,266.  


Franklin Food Elves founders Melissa and Cameron Piana are thrilled with the campaign’s results.  


“A few years ago my brother and I started collecting donations in our neighborhood and the idea has grown into a much bigger way for us to make a difference for needy families in Franklin,” says Melissa. “We want to thank all the residents and businesses for the donations and all of our elves for their help. It was a team effort with huge results.”  


“It is amazing to me how many people wanted to help us reach our goal,” says Cameron. “We are excited that we exceeded our goal for the Food Pantry and that so many people will benefit from the donations.”  


The Franklin Food Elves are led by Head Elves Melissa and Cameron Piana. The elves are Katie Buccella, Kiara Chan, Jess Deaver, Amanda Dickson, Colleen Flaherty, Katie Flaherty, Elise Frank, Haley Frank, Santiago Leal, Kasey Lynch, Jacob Signori, Shannon Takahata and Mely Wu.  


“We knew this community would support the elves and the food pantry but this response surpassed all of our expectations,” says Partnership President Nicole Fortier. “The support and positive feedback for this drive has been overwhelming. We are grateful to the residents and businesses of Franklin and to the local papers for helping us spread the word.”  


The Franklin Food Elves is a charitable community service group.  


The Franklin Downtown Partnership is a non-profit 501(c)3 group working to revitalize downtown Franklin.  For more information about either group please contact the Partnership at (774)571-3109 or downtown.franklin@yahoo.com.  

Food Pantry Executive Director Anne Marie Bellavance, Partnership President Nicole Fortier, and Head Food Elves Cameron and Melissa Piana (left to right) at the Franklin Food Pantry. 

Food Elves Cameron and Melissa Piana deliver donations collected during the '12 Days of Donating' campaign to Food Pantry Executive Director Anne Marie Bellavance (left).

This was originally posted to the Franklin Downtown Partnership website here

http://www.franklindowntownpartnership.org/2011/12/food-elves-press-release.html

Kennedy Elementary 4th Grades help the Franklin Food Pantry

On behalf of the Board of Directors of the Franklin Food Pantry, I want to send a great big" thank you" to the Kennedy 4th Graders! Your effort will help us feed our Franklin neighbors.

Sent to you by Steve Sherlock via Google Reader:

(title unknown)

via The Shiny Red Apple by Mrs. Williams-the big "A"pple on 12/15/11

Thanks to everyone who participated in the food drive for the Franklin FoodPantry. As a grade we collected 480 pounds of food and supplies, and a check for $20.00 which will provide 100 meals! Great job 4th graders .

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12 Days of Donating to Benefit Franklin Food Pantry

Sent to you by Steve Sherlock via Google Reader:

12 Days of Donating to Benefit Franklin Food Pantry

via Berry Insurance Blog by berryinsurance on 12/1/11

Franklin businesses will be collecting canned goods for the Franklin Food Pantry for twelve days, from December 1^st to the 12^th as part of their "1,200 pounds of food and $1,200 in 12 days" campaign. Be sure to take part in this "12 Days of Donating" to help the Pantry support those in need this holiday season. Be sure to stop into any of these local spots listed below, anytime until the 12th, with canned goods or donations, and show your support for the community.

• Franklin Downtown Partnership – 9 East Central Street
• Jane's Frames – 11 East Central Street
• Printsmart Office Supplies – 20 East Central Street
• Berry Insurance – 9 Main Street
• Dean Bank – 21 Main Street
• Dean College at the Campus Center

For more information about the "12 Days of Donating" campaign contact Franklin Downtown Partnership at (774) 571-3109 or at downtown.Franklin@yahoo.com.


For more information about this topic, or to get some answers about your current insurance situation, please visit our virtual insurance agency at www.berryinsurance.com, stop by one of our two locations, or give us a call at (800) 941-3317. You can also find us on all your favorite social networking sites!

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2011 Thanksgiving "Thank You"

Thank you Linda, Dave and Tony for your extraordinary dedication to keeping the shelves stocked and clients happy

Thank you Steve, Karen, Amy, Chelsea, Linda, Maureen and Paul for bringing your talent and collaborative spirit to our Board

Thank you Michelle Clay for creating an excellent Pantry Cookbook

Thank you Pat for picking up from BJ’s three times every week

Thank you Linda, Holly, Sarah, Art, Jean and Michelle for joining us on Wednesdays

Thank you Roberta for helping clients complete SNAP applications

Thank you Panera, Elizabeth’s Bagels and BJ’s bakery for your weekly bread and pastry donations

Thank you to 75+ volunteers who helped us unload, sort and stock over 10,000 lbs of deliveries and donations in the past few weeks

Thank you Interfaith Council for helping gather donations to create 250 Thanksgiving bags that were distributed with Thanksgiving turkeys

Thank you Davis Thayer Bobcat Buddies and Mrs. Wayne for organizing, assembling and delivering 75 Thanksgiving bags

Thank you Garelick Farms for picking up our turkeys from the Greater Boston Food Bank

Thank you Garelick Farms for donating hundreds of half gallons of chocolate milk

Thank you Tony M for donating turkeys in memory of your wife Dora

Thank you Greater Boston Food Bank for fulfilling our orders twice a month

Thank you Franklin Community for helping us strengthen the Franklin Food Pantry

Thank You:
200 Foundation
7 Eleven
Adirondack Club
AE McGuire and Associates
Ahold Financial Services
Alden Club
All in One Cleaning Services
Ames Financial Services
Anglican Church of the Redeemer
Annie Sullivan Middle School
Associated Service Corporation
Aubuchon Hardware
Bay State Analytical Products
Benjamin Franklin Classical Charter School
Berry Insurance
Big Lots
Birthday celebrations collecting Food Pantry donations instead of presents
BJ's Franklin
BOSE Corporation
Boston Sports Club
Boy Scout Troops
Bryant University
Busy Bee Club
Caritas Norwood Hospital
Chestnut Dental Associates
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints
Church of the Redeemer
Circle of Friends Coffeehouse
Cleft in the Rock Ministries
Compass View Events
Cooks Farm
Costello Realty
Cost Cutters
Covidien
CVS
David Christopher Coiffure
David Thayer Elementary School
Dean Bank
Dean College
Define by Design
Department of Corrections
Digital Federal Credit Union
Dynisco
Eaton Place
ElemenTree House
Elizabeth's Bagels
Franklin Emma's Quilt Cupboard
EMC
ERA Key Realty
Fallon Community Health Plan
Feet in Motion
School of Dance
Ferguson Daddario
Ficco’s Bowl-A-Drome
Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund
First Universalist Society
Franklin Fletcher Fund
Fletcher Hospital Corporation
Franklin Alden Club
Franklin Art Association
Franklin Baptist Church
Franklin Chargers
Franklin Childrens School
Franklin Community
Franklin Community Garden
Franklin Country Day Camp
Franklin Downtown Partnership
 Franklin Elks
Franklin Federated Church
Franklin High School
Franklin High School National Honor Society
Franklin Interfaith Council
Franklin Landing Apartments
Franklin Library
Franklin Lions Club
Franklin Methodist Church
Franklin Newcomers and Friends
Franklin Postal Workers
Franklin Rod & Gun Club
Franklin Rotary Club
Franklin School for the Performing Arts
Franklin Schools and PCCs
Franklin Senior Center
Franklin Skilled Nursing
Franklin Sons of Italy
Franklin Transitional Care
Franklin VFW
Franklin Youth Hockey
FranklinCommunityGardens.org
Friends of Franklin
FX ORegan ECDC Preschool
General Dynamics
Girl Scout Troops
 Glen Meadow Apartments
Grateful Farm
Greater Boston Food Bank
Gutter Gals
Hair Designs by Helene & Co
Harriet
Harvard Pilgrim Health Care
Hawthorne Suites
Helen Keller Elementary School
HMEA
Hockomock YMCA
Honey-Do Painting & Projects
Horace Mann Middle School
Hormel Foods
Integrated Defense Solutions
Interstate Appraisal Services
Jefferson Elementary School
Keller Williams Realty
Kennedy Elementary School
Kimberly Clark
Knights of Columbus
LDS Missionaries
Liberty Mutual Liquor World
Longobardi Construction
MA Track Coaches Association
Magic Shears
Hair Salon
Mark S. Valle, DDS, MS
Massachusetts Bankers Association
Medfield Animal Shelter
MEP Consulting
Metrowest Community Healthcare Foundation
Middlesex Savings Bank
Milford Council Royal & Select Masters
Milford Daily News for Gifts of Hope and helping us share our stories
Molloy & Associates
Mom’s Clubs
Montgomery Lodge
Next Generation
New England Chapel
Norfolk Community Gardens
Norwood Hospital Medical Staff
Oak Street Elementary School
Obers Express
Order of the Eastern Star
Panera Bread Franklin
Parmenter Elementary School
Paul A Longobardi & Son Trucking
Pediatric Associates
Philip dePalma Salon
Pierce Aluminum Company
Pleasant Street Church
Pop Warner
Professional Firefighters of Franklin
Project Bread
Prospect Hill Country Day School
Random Smile
REIT Management and Research
Remax Executive Realty
Remington Middle School
RESH Inc
RF Arthur Company
Ricks Restaurant
Rockland Trust
Rome Restaurant
Royal Arch Masons of Massachusetts
Santa Foundation
Schwab Charitable Fund
Shaws Supermarket
Slickback Swagger
Soccer for Smiles
Sons of Italy
St Johns Episcopal Church
St Marys Catholic Church
St Roccos
St Vincent de Paul
Stop & Shop
Strawberry Patch
Summit Home Builders
Sunrise Montessori School
Tangerini’s Farm
Team Fitness
Temple Etz Chaim
Thermo Fisher

to the many individual donors we are unable to mention by name to the many neighbors who support us anonymously

TOSA Foundation
Town of Franklin
Tri County High School
Tri-Valley Inc
United Methodist Church
United Regional Chamber of Commerce
United States Postal Service
United Way of Tri County
USMMA
Vendetti Motors
Vet Med
VFW
Vignone & Vignone
Walgreens
Weight Watchers
WGAO 88.3 FM (Dean College)
William Palumbo Insurance
William R. Koplin, DDS
WMRC 1490 AM (Milford)
Women’s Success Network
YMCA

Franklin Food Pantry - Fall Update

Fall is here and we have many invitations to share with you…

Whole Foods Market in Bellingham will be having its last Farmers Market of the season on Monday, September 26^th from 4pm – 7pm.  Whole Foods has generously offered to donate all of the proceeds from the outdoor grill station to the Franklin Community Garden!  So please consider grabbing dinner at the Farmers Market grill outside Whole Foods in Bellingham on Monday night.

Visit us at our booth at the Franklin Downtown Partnership Harvest Festival on Sunday, October 2nd from 11am - 4pm.  Our booth will be located in the Berry Insurance lot.  The Harvest Festival is a fun community event filled with great music, over 100 crafters, farmers market, children's activities and more.

Food donations for the Franklin Food Pantry will be accepted at the Franklin Library's semi-annual book sale held on Friday, October 14th from 4pm – 7pm and Saturday, October 15th from 9am – 4pm at the Franklin DPW Garage, Public Service Way off Hayward Street. Please consider donating from our current needs list below. 


Food donations for the Franklin Food Pantry will also be accepted at the Franklin Newcomers Craft Fair on Saturday, November 12th from 9am – 4pm at Tri-County High School, 147 Pond Street. Please consider donating from our current needs list below.

Thanks to the generosity of our community, we distributed more than 12,000 bags to more than 850 neighbors this past year, an increase of 26 percent. We received more than 83,000 lbs of donations from our community and picked up over 48,000 lbs from the Greater Boston Food Bank to help fill our shelves this past year. We distributed over 115,000 lbs during more than 6,300 visits, averaging 42 new clients each month. We are grateful for the 300+ volunteers who joined us to help us sort, check dates and stock our shelves with these community donations. 

Good food nourishes the body and the spirit. With regular, nutritious meals, we are free to grow, to think, to smile, to live. We aim to provide our clients with a wide range of opportunities for gaining access to local, fresh, nutritious food choices. Our first annual phone-a-thon successfully generated over $11,000 to help us increase our nutritious offerings. A Big Thank You to all of our Franklin neighbors for your support! 

We purchased 10 CSA Shares from Grateful Farm in Franklin and distributed free, fresh, local produce to clients every Saturday morning at the Pantry from 8am – 9am. 

Our Giving Garden located at the King Street Memorial Park Community Gardens is growing strong thanks to a wonderful team of volunteers. 

We are inviting all backyard gardeners to share any excess backyard produce with the Franklin Food Pantry through our Plant a Row program. Produce can be dropped off at the Pantry Tuesday thru Friday 9am – 1pm or Saturday mornings between 7:30 – 8am. 

Thanks to a grant received from the MetroWest Community Health Care Foundation, we launched our Produce Points program at the Franklin Farmers Market on the Town Common every Friday from 12noon – 6pm through October 28th. If you know anyone who is receiving food stamps, please spread the word that we are doubling their money to spend at the Franklin Farmers Market every Friday. (i.e. if they want to spend $5 of SNAP benefits, we give them $10 to spend at the Market). Visit the Produce Points table at the Franklin Farmers Market to learn more.

Consider donating an item from our Fall Needs list below.  Donations can be dropped off at the Food Pantry (in Rockland Trust parking lot) Tuesdays - Fridays between 9am and 1pm or placed in our collection bin on our front porch anytime.  

If you prefer to write a check or donate online, remember our relationship with the Greater Boston Food Bank stretches monetary donations much further; $20 can provide up to 100 meals!  Every tax deductible donation helps us support more than 850 neighbors throughout the year.

Health and Beauty Products - Shampoo, Soap, Deodorant, Razors etc. Cleaning Products - Laundry, Dishwasher, All Purpose etc. Paper Products - Toilet Paper, Kleenex, Paper Towels, Feminine etc. Baked Beans / Dry Beans Baking Mixes / Flour / Sugar Canned Meat / Fish Canned Pasta (chef boyardeeish) Cereal Coffee / Tea Flavored Rice and/or Pasta Side mixes Potatoes Soups / Stews / Broths Spices / Seasonings Fresh and Frozen Produce always welcome

September and October Volunteer opportunities:

Friday, Sept 23rd     3pm - 6pm (@ Franklin Farmers Market on Town Common)

Friday, Sept 30th     3pm - 6pm (@ Franklin Farmers Market on Town Common)

Wednesday, Oct 5th   1pm - 2pm (@ Food Pantry)

Friday, Oct 7th     3pm - 6pm (@ Franklin Farmers Market on Town Common)

Friday, Oct 14th    3pm - 6pm (@ Franklin Farmers Market on Town Common)

Wednesday, Oct 19th    11am - 12noon  (@ Food Pantry)

Friday, Oct 21st    3pm - 6pm (@ Franklin Farmers Market on Town Common)

Friday, Oct 28th    3pm - 6pm (@ Franklin Farmers Market on Town Common)

Saturday, Oct 29th     9:30am - 10:30am (@ Food Pantry)

Thank you for making a difference! 

Please forward to any friends or family who may be interested.


-- Anne Marie Bellavance
Franklin Food Pantry
43 West Central Street
PO Box 116
Franklin, MA  02038
(508) 528-3115

www.franklinfoodpantry.org


Note: for those who did receive the email version of this, I did remove the first three paragraphs as I am posting the letter too late for those to be of a help.

Community Garden Walkabout - August 27th 9am-11am

Hello Everyone,


This Saturday August 27th the garden coordinator Chris Clay will be in the garden from 9am-11am to give tours of the garden for community members and answer any questions gardeners may have.  If you want to know what the spots on your tomato leaves mean, what that bug on your broccoli is, or anything else this is your chance to ask!


Cheers,


Chris Clay

--

www.franklincommunitygardens.org

Visit us on Facebook!

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Franklin-Community-Gardens/152040424825578

Follow us on Twitter!

http://twitter.com/#!/FRKLNCommGarden

Making a purchase!

Franklin Farmers Market,  Friday,  12:00pm to 6:00pm

Located on the Town Common

Reminder that the Farmers' Market now accepts SNAP dollars and can double your purchasing power.
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2011/07/franklin-farmers-market-doubles-food.html

Visit the Food Pantry tent at the Farmers' Market for details.

Where is the Town Common?


View Larger Map

"fewer soggy chicken nuggets"

While farmers' markets are expanding, the use of fresh and local foods is increasing in the school lunch programs:

Franklin decided to revamp its food program by bringing in help. 

In June, the school system awarded its dining contract to Whitsons Culinary Group, a company that works with public and private schools to improve menus and promote healthy eating. 

School Committee member Bill Glynn, who led a nutrition subcommittee while the school was evaluating potential candidates, said at a June meeting that the change was to address the state's ever-evolving nutrition standards, according to school committee minutes. 

Kevin Silivia, an area training manager for Whitsons, said the company is training cafeteria employees to cook a variety of foods using fresh ingredients. 

"I think we are on the cutting edge, starting to develop programs that make food nutritious and fun for kids," Silivia said. "We develop our concepts around that ideal."

Read more: http://www.milforddailynews.com/archive/x1837753803/Area-schools-go-local-to-get-healthy-produce#ixzz1VkWRf0vO

"people want convenience"

Much of the expansion of farmers markets has come in the past three years, said Scott Soares, state commissioner of agricultural resources. 

Public interest in buying local products "really caught fire," he said. In part, demand seems driven by worries about food safety. 

"(Customers) get it here fresh," said Terri Kanief of Boston-based Globe Fish Company, who was in Framingham last Thursday selling seafood. "You don't (know) how long it's been in the grocery store." 

Farmers markets give customers a connection to growers and their techniques that they can't find elsewhere, Cole said. 

Shoppers also are increasingly conscious of how far their food must travel to get to their table, Soares said. 

"Consumers are really recognizing those kinds of impacts that their food choices can make on the environment," he said.

Read more: http://www.milforddailynews.com/archive/x27462244/Farmers-markets-sprouting-up-all-over-Massachusetts#ixzz1VkVKUGIV

Related post:
Food Pantry grant doubles SNAP dollars at the Franklin Farmers Market
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2011/07/franklin-farmers-market-doubles-food.html

This was originally posted to Franklin Matters

Fairmount Fruit Farm - strawberries

Did you know that there are still U-pick strawberries to be found in Franklin?

Fairmount Fruit Farm on Lincoln Street (near the Medway border) has an amazing greenhouse full of the berries growing on their new hydro-stackers.

We had a great time picking recently, no deep knee bending or sunscreen needed.

They also have great fresh, organic eggs and a freezer full of fresh lamb.

They will be opening the berry greenhouse to the public later this week.

http://www.fairmountfruit.com/

Check availability by calling them at 508-533-8737

Support your local farmers!

Antonio Mendoca, Neil Acevedo, and Will Acevedo, all from Franklin, at the Fairmount Fruit Farm

Look at the size of this one!

A peek at the hydro-stackers, which the greenhouse also sells.


My thanks to Amy Acevedo for sharing these pictures and information!


This was originally posted to Franklin MAtters.

Franklin Food Pantry announces “Plant a Row”

What grows in your garden? Do you have tomatoes and peas , or are you like Mary here

Mary, Mary, quite contrary,
How does your garden grow?
With peppers, beans, and lots of greens,
And tall sweet corn in a row!

Have you considered planting a row in your garden for the Franklin Food Pantry? Modeled after the national “Plant a Row” program, this is a good way for gardeners to contribute. Grow some fresh and healthy food to share. Then, when it is ready, take those healthy fruits, herbs, and veggies to the Food Pantry, where they will be distributed to your neighbors and families.

Why Plant a Row? Plant a Row is rooted in the heartfelt tradition of gardeners sharing a bountiful harvest with others. Sharing can happen on many levels. Home gardeners, schools, church groups, youth and community organizations, and even area businesses can all help make a difference for their neighbors who experience hunger or the threat of hunger.

Nothing beats the taste and nutrition of fresh-picked vegetables. Growing and eating from your own garden can improve your health, save you money, increase your sustainability, and decrease your carbon footprint. And most important, your Franklin Food Pantry announces garden can help your Franklin neighbors.

You can sign up by emailing PlantARow@franklinfoodpantry.org or visit Franklin’s Plant a Row website http://www.plantarowfranklin.org/

Franklin Food Pantry says “Thanks to You”

Thanks to your generosity, the Franklin Food Pantry will be stocked to serve our neighbors this summer. The recent “Calling for the Pantry” phone-a-thon netted just over $11,000 and the “Stamp Out Hunger” food drive coordinated with the US Post Office generated just over 5,000 pounds of food and non-food items. “We are relieved to fill the empty shelves and know many of these donations will help us through the summer,” said Anne Marie Bellavance, Executive Director.

Volunteers for the Franklin Food Pantry reached out to talk with 2,400 households in Franklin, MA as part of the first annual phone fundraising effort. Bellavance said, “We were not sure what it (the phone-a-thon) would be like. The phone conversations the volunteers had were priceless. The feedback provided will help us.”

Dean College graciously provided use of their phone bank as their contribution to this event. More than 40 volunteers made the phone calls spread over several time periods from April 30 through May 3, 2011. The unpaid volunteers announced that this was the first annual phone call fundraising effort for the Food Pantry. 

The Food Pantry will be able to provide more than 55,000 meals with the money raised. They are able to do this by leveraging resources with the Greater Boston Food Bank and providing fresh produce from Grateful Farm in Franklin. The fresh produce will be available during June through October for Franklin Food Pantry clients.

On Saturday, May 14, Franklin participated in the annual “Stamp Out Hunger” campaign, the largest food drive in the US. Jeanne Jackson, Franklin’s USPS Postmaster, was on site at the Food Pantry observing the parade of 20 postal vehicles. As the carriers worked their routes delivering mail to residences in Franklin, they picked up bags of food and non-food items that had been left for them at the mailboxes. The carriers stopped at the Food Pantry to drop off the bags before heading back to the Post Office.

Volunteers worked efficiently to unload the trucks as they arrived. Once unloaded, the bags were weighed, the items were checked for safety and quality, sorted into food and non-food categories and stocked onto the shelves. Only 10% of the items received were put aside due to safety and quality concerns. This is a marked improvement over 2010 when there was 28% waste from expired “use by” dates. Thanks to

• Dean College for the use of the phone bank
• The residents for their contributions of food and money
• The volunteers for their time and effort
• The Post Office carriers for their time and effort

Thanks to you for helping put food on the table this summer for your Franklin neighbors!


-----

Stamp Out Hunger web site: http://www.helpstampouthunger.com/thankyou.aspx

Franklin Food Pantry web site http://franklinfoodpantry.org/

Goodbye pyramid, hello plate!

The food pyramid is gone. The plate is here.

Here is a round up of some articles covering the changes in the presentation of the food guidelines as a plate:

5 Things to Know About the New Nutritional Guidelines

by meganbedard

Goodbye, Food Pyramid: USDA to Announce a New 'Food Icon'

by Marion Nestle

Deconstructing the USDA’s new food plate

by Marion

How the Food Pyramid Failed and Why We Needed MyPlate

by Daniel Fromson

And last but not least, the Choose My Plate website can be found here


Franklin, MA

Franklin, MA: Community Gardens - Ribbon Cutting - 5/28/11

Did the ribbon get cut for the Community Gardens today?

Yes, it did.

Here is the video recorded live during the event:




This was originally posted to Franklin Matters

Stamp Out Hunger - May 14

With 1 in 6 affected by hunger, they can be found all around us.



Help your neighbor.

Stamp Out Hunger - flyer2011


Help us help your neighbor.

You can contribute by leaving some non-perishable goods for your postal carrier on Saturday, or help volunteer as the donations are delivered by the carriers to the Food Pantry on Saturday afternoon, or make a monetary contribution on the Food Pantry website http://franklinfoodpantry.org/


Franklin, MA

A photo slideshow of the Stamp Out Hunger drive in 2010

Community Gardens - Build Day

Volunteers worked in teams to put the beds together:



The beds are located at the King St fields:



Some of the beds close to the entrance provide handicap access with a good stone dust surface:



Work in progress on Saturday afternoon:



More info about the Community Gardens can be found
http://www.franklincommunitygardens.org/

Join us Saturday, May 7th or next Saturday, May 14th

A Big Thank You to all neighbors who received calls for help this past weekend and to all our volunteers. More than 40 volunteers reached out to our community for our first annual Phonathon. We are so grateful to be surrounded by very generous neighbors. Pledge forms were mailed out this week and we look forward to calculating our final numbers. Donations are still being accepted securely on our website, www.franklinfoodpantry.org.

Join the Franklin Community Garden in building 46 raised garden beds, Saturday, May 7th @ the King Street Playground (located off of King Street near the intersection of Forest Street). Volunteers will be building the beds and then filling them up with gorgeous soil! There are 2 shifts (9am - 12noon or 1pm - 4pm) or you can join us the whole day! No amazing "building skills" required. All the wood will be pre-cut, so if you know how to hold a piece of wood or can help shovel, all extra community hands are welcome! Please bring cordless drills, shovels, rakes, wheelbarrows, pitch forks etc. if you have them.

Next Saturday, May 14th is Stamp Out Hunger day. Stamp Out Hunger is the Nation's Largest Single Day Food Drive. We need many volunteers from 2pm - 6pm @ the Pantry to help us sort the thousands of pounds of anticipated food donations. Please consider leaving a bag of items from our attached needs list at your mailbox on Saturday morning, May 14th and our letter carriers will pick up and deliver to the Franklin Food Pantry. Thank you to the Franklin Post Office and Letter Carriers.

Season 2 of Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution will return with all new episodes beginning Friday, June 3rd at 9pm ET/8pm CT. If you've missed either of the first two episodes, they will be airing back-to-back on Friday May 27th at 8:00 and 9:00 pm ET (7 and 8 CT) or you can watch them on www.abc.com. We invite you to help by spreading the word and joining the revolution:

Are you a backyard gardener (or do you know a backyard farmer)? Do you want to plant an extra row this year to help our neighbors in need? We are starting a Plant a Row program and are getting ready to open registration and distribute row markers and brochures. If you are interested in participating, please email PlantARow@franklinfoodpantry.org.

We are celebrating a recent grant received from the MetroWest Community Health Care Foundation to launch our Produce Points program at the Franklin Farmers Market in June 2011. Produce Points is modeled after the Double Value Coupon Program developed by Wholesome Wave. Stay tuned.

Michelle Clay of Franklin has generously volunteered to create a food resource cookbook for the Franklin Food Pantry and is inviting you all to be recipe testers. You can find more information and many recipes here (Thank you Michelle!) http://pantrycookbook.blogspot.com/ Good food nourishes the body and the spirit. With regular, nutritious meals, we are free to grow, to think, to smile, to live. In 2011, we will expand our capacity to provide our clients with a wide range of opportunities for gaining access to local, fresh, nutritious food. Our free Farmer's Market for clients was a great success in 2010 and thanks to generous Donors we look forward to working with Grateful Farm to continue this program beginning in June 2011.

In 2011, we hope to continue to learn with you, our community, the many elements of nutrition, food systems, local resources and to explore the questions, "What is food?" and "Where does our food come from?". We believe everyone has the right to access healthy, affordable food choices.

Please contact annemarie@franklinfoodpantry.org if you are interested in working together on any of the programs mentioned or if you have a great idea that may align well with any of the above.

Please forward to any friends or family who may be interested.

Thank You

Anne Marie Bellevance

Calling for the Pantry: Apr 30 - May 3

Volunteers for the Franklin Food Pantry will be calling residents of Franklin, MA as part of a fundraising effort during specific time periods from Apr 30 through May 3, 2011. The volunteers will be using the phone bank at Dean College to call residents on Saturday, Apr 30 from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM. Sunday, May 1 from Noon to 4:00 PM. Monday, May 2 from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM. Tuesday, May 3 from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM.

The volunteers will announce that this is the first annual phone call fundraising effort for the Food Pantry. The Pantry is looking to raise funds to provide for the over 400 families it services each month. The Pantry is able to provide 5 meals for each $1 donated by leveraging the resources of the Greater Boston Food Bank, local supermarkets, local farmers and generosity of the Franklin community.

Donors will be asked to make their contribution via credit card, or to make a pledge. The pledge will result in regular mail sent to their address which can be returned via the mail with a check, or the check could be dropped off at the Pantry during operating hours.

As an alternative, donors can visit the Food Pantry website and make a secure transaction with their credit card via Google Checkout. The website can be found at http://franklinfoodpantry.org/

Note that the volunteer calls will appear as “Dean College” for those with caller ID.
The Food Pantry thanks Dean College for the gracious access to their phone bank for this fundraiser.

Volunteers to make the phone calls are still welcome. There are several time slots to choose from over the four day campaign. If you would like to help with this effort, please contact Maureen Roy.

Saturday, April 30th
10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.
2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Sunday, May 1st
12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.
2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Monday, May 2nd
6:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Tuesday, May 3rd
6:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m


For additional information on the campaign, contact Maureen Roy at the Franklin Food Pantry. Telephone Number: 508-528-3115. Maureen can also be reached via email at maureen@franklinfoodpantry.org