Food Pantry Closed - Tuesday/Wednesday (Jan 27-28)

As is our practice, we follow the lead on what the Town of Franklin does for weather emergencies. The School notification was just received (see below).

Be safe

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A message from FRANKLIN PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT

Hello 

Based on direction from our public safety officials all schools will be closed on Tuesday 1/27 and Wednesday 1/28. 

There will be no school activities Monday 1/26, Tuesday 1/27 or Wednesday 1/28. 

All School buildings will be closed during this time. Town Hall will be closed on Tuesday and Wednesday as well. 

There will be no Recreation programs nor evening basketball. 

We wanted to convey the information early so families may make plans. 

The HS schedule of exams will be disseminated by the HS administration.

Thank You

FHS in the snow Feb 2014

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“12 Days of Donating” goes over the top

The Franklin Food Elves are pleased to announce that the final donation numbers are in and the “12 Days of Donating” Campaign has collected more than three tons (or 6,400 pounds) of goods and $8,500 for the Franklin Food Pantry.

(L-R) Food Elf Ellie Teixeira, Co-founder Cameron Piana, Food Pantry Executive Director Erin Lynch at the Franklin Food Pantry in December 2014.

More than 90 Food Elves collected from over 30 Franklin neighborhoods, the most volunteers in the history of the Franklin Food Elves. They worked in conjunction with local businesses that set up collection bins at their locations around town.

“We’d like to thank all of residents of Franklin who donated to our campaign this year. We also would like to thank the elves who worked hard to bring the donations in, and the businesses that helped fill the donation bins at their locations,” says Cameron Piana, Food Elves co-founder.

The Franklin Food Elves was co-founded by Melissa and Cameron Piana 9 years ago and has grown each year.  Since the beginning the organization has brought in a total of 10 tons (20,380 pounds) of food donations and over $25,700 for the Franklin Food Pantry.

Local businesses were deeply involved in this year’s campaign. DCU gave a check for $5,000, and 15 other businesses pledged a $200 cash donation and donated time and bin space to the cause.

Those businesses included Auerr, Zajac & Associates, LLC, Berry Insurance, British Beer Company, Dean Bank, Dean College, Drama Kids of Metro West, Emma’s Quilt Cupboard, the Franklin Downtown Partnership, Jane’s Frames, Keefe Insurance Agency, Murphy Business, Printsmart Office Products, Pour Richard’s Wine & Spirits, RE/MAX Executive Realty, and Yellin & Hyman, P.C. 

For more information about the Food Elves and the “12 Days of Donating” campaign, please contact the Food Elves at franklinfoodelves@yahoo.com or visit their Facebook page

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Franklin-Food-Elves/714439188643292

This was shared from the Franklin Downtown Partnership page

http://www.franklindowntownpartnership.org/2015/01/decembers-12-days-of-donating-totals.html

Your GBFB Monthly: Thank You from GBFB, GBFB Supports Healthy Lives & Communities, S.M.A.R.T. Goals & More!

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January 9, 2014
UPCOMING EVENTS Super Hunger Brunch Saturday, January 24 Super Hunger Brunch Sunday, January 25 Follow GBFB on    As we enter the New Year, Team GBFB is reflecting on the successes and challenges of 2014. The year was especially challenging for the one in nine residents of eastern Massachusetts who struggled to have enough to eat. However, thanks to you, we made a difference in the lives of more than 500,000 by providing access to healthy food. Some of the great things GBFB accomplished with your help in 2014 include: Distributed over 51 million pounds of food; that's 42 million meals! Increased our distribution of fresh produce by 2 million pounds to 13.5 million Achieved a high nutrition ranking; 81% of food distributed met the highest nutrition standard Saved $1 million in labor costs thanks to the 26,000 volunteers who sorted 5.4 million pounds of food Provided food to 200 families impacted by the tornado that devastated Revere, Massachusetts Provided more than 560,000 meals for those in need through our special holiday campaigns like Holiday Meal Drive, Giving Tuesday, and our year end appeal. We could not have achieved these accomplishments without you. Thank you. Our vision is a hunger free Massachusetts, and there's still more to do. The cold winter months are here and are often the most difficult because they bring high heating and energy bills. You can still support our neighbors in need by making a donation or participating in upcoming events like Super Hunger Brunch. Every $1 you give to GBFB provides 3 healthy meals and makes a difference in the lives of those in need. Remember, together, we can End Hunger Here. Sincerely, Catherine D'Amato President and CEO Hunger is not a problem facing just those in poverty. A recent study shows that 47% of those at risk of hunger in eastern Massachusetts earn too much to be eligible for government-provided emergency food assistance. Many never dreamed they would need a food pantry or community meal program to feed themselves and their families. Why is hunger hurting so many in our community? GBFB prioritizes distributing high quality and nutritious foods to support healthy lives and communities. Our nutrition ranking system ensures high nutritional values. And, GBFB offers nutrition education and meal planning services to our member agencies and clients. View the complete FY14 year in review. S.M.A.R.T. Goals | Nutritious Bytes Tired of making New Year's resolutions but not sticking to them? Instead of making vague, unattainable goals, try creating S.M.A.R.T. goals this year. Learn what the S.M.A.R.T. acronym stands for. Meet Matt Gray, "40 Under 40" Inductee This past September, GBFB Team member, Matt Gray, was honored to be inducted into a new editorial series in The Griffin Report of Food Marketing called "40 Under 40." Learn more about Team GBFB member, Matt Gray.

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"I guess you don’t really see that a lot of people are in need"

WGBH visited Franklin recently when preparing a report in their continuing series on Rediscovering the Middle Class. They talked with Erin Lynch, Executive Director of the Franklin Food Pantry, and interviewd Doug and Karen Mow.

In his living room in Franklin, Mow is keeping a close eye on the clock. He’s waiting for a client to call; a call he cannot afford to miss.

"Looking down at the two phones right on the table right in front of me and my urge to go look at it right now while I’m talking to you," he said. "I have a lot of concerns that way."

Concerned about holding onto clients; Concerned about paying the bills. His wife Karen learned about the growing need at the food pantry and called to volunteer. 

"I guess you don’t really see that a lot of people are in need," he said. 

"We’re living in a very different economic reality that is really on thin ice, and it really doesn’t take a lot to just send you right into the depths," Mow continued. "And I think the scariest part of the recession was we all got really close to that. My mortgage is already underwater, and how am I going to pay for that? And my kid’s going to college, and how am I going to pay for that? And then if you’ve had a stable life that whole time, what’s it going to be like when the rug gets yanked out? What’s it like living on the street? I don’t know. I don’t know how to do that." 

Mow doesn’t think he will ever be homeless. But he keeps an eye on the clock on the wall of his home — now deeply submerged in mortgage debt — and waits for the next client to call; a reminder of his precarious position in the middle class.

screen grab of WGBH webpage with article

You can read the full artcile here
http://wgbhnews.org/post/underwater-i-495-middle-class-crisis

You can also listen to the podcast of this article here
http://cpa.ds.npr.org/demowgbh/audio/2015/01/495MIDDLECLASSSREPORTMixdown1.mp3

Kids Garden News - January 2015

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Selecting Seeds for the Garden How do you decide among the many varieties of seeds you could grow? Check out our helpful decision making tips. Read more » Advertisements (Click to advertise here.) Kitchen Scrap Gardening Here is a fun indoor planting activity to keep your kids engaged when the weather outside is lousy. Read more on family gardening » Make a Seed Starting and Planting Calendar For a fun winter classroom project make a vegetable and herb seed starting and planting calendar. Learn more! Read more on school gardening » Getting Ready for Seed Starting Starting plants indoors from seed is a great antidote to bleak winter weather. Find out what you need to get started. Read more » - Support our Garden in Every School Initiative®, National Gardening Association teams up for 5th year of Gro1000... - More Announcements » - NSTA National Conference, 2015 AITC Conference, 2015 New England Grows Conference... - More Conferences & Workshops » - Growing Ideas Blog, Free Carton 2 Garden Entry Kit, Gardener to Gardener e-newsletter... - More Resources » - National Carton 2 Garden Contest, 2015 Mantis Tiller Award, 2015 Jamba Juice Garden Grant... - More Funding Opportunities »

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