"Stamp Out Hunger" - May 9th

The pantry announced this week that the letter carriers will pick up food donations from residents’ mailboxes on Saturday, May 9. Later the mail trucks will line up at the West Central Street pantry to unload their haul. 

Residents can donate to the food drive by leaving a bag of non-perishable food where their letter carrier normally delivers their mail, or by visiting the pantry at 43 West Central St. from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. 

The pantry has a special need for cans of tuna, juice boxes and granola bars, as well as pudding, sugar-free Jell-O, coffee and baking mix for cakes, cookies or brownies. The non-food items include toilet paper, deodorant, and hand and dish soap. 

The national campaign occurs every second Saturday in May, involving letter carriers in more than 10,000 cities and towns across the country.

Continue reading the article in the Milford Daily News here
http://www.milforddailynews.com/article/20150418/NEWS/150416081/1994/NEWS

date checking the goods after weighing in

For other photos from 2014 check here
http://www.franklinfoodpantry.org/2014/05/225-tons-of-food-collected-to-stamp-out.html

Exciting times - the Governor visits the Food Pantry

Franklin's Representative Jeff Roy brought Governor Deval Patrick for a visit to the Food Pantry Thursday morning. The Milford Daily News article reporting on the visit to Franklin writes in part:

Roy also brought Patrick and Kerrigan to the Franklin Food Pantry. Erin Lynch, the pantry’s executive director, discussed efforts to expand the space. And Patrick asked how the pantry has changed over the years. 

"Most of the families we see now are working," Lynch said, noting that they don’t earn enough to provide a consistent meal.

Continue reading the article in the Milford Daily News here (subscription maybe required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/article/20141003/NEWS/141008575

You can stop by the Food Pantry tent in the Rockland Trust parking lot during the Harvest Festival on Sunday, October 5th.

Additional information on the Harvest Festival can be found on the Downtown Partnership webpage 

Harvest Festival handout (including map)

Harvest Festival performance schedule

Harvest Festival traffic alert


The photo below shows the Food Pantry tent and truck set up for the Festival in 2013. Hopefully, the weather will be bringing sunshine this year!

Food Pantry tent and truck for the Harvest Festival Oct 2013

"It’s a really nice collaboration"

You may recall that the Dave Matthews Band was helping the Food Pantry. How much help did they provide?

This year, Lynch said, the pantry convinced Reverb to invite Hoffmann Farm, run by Nick Hoffmann, who started his community-supported agriculture program anew in 2012 after moving to Franklin from New Braintree. 

At the show last Saturday, the pantry and the farm had two booths set up in the concourse. The pantry collected more than 500 pounds of food and $2,400 to purchase produce from Hoffmann. 

And both were able to get some exposure, as thousands of people attended the show.

You can read the full article in the Milford Daily News here
http://www.milforddailynews.com/article/20140614/NEWS/140617330/1994/NEWS

The prior article on the Dave Matthew Band and the Food Pantry
http://www.franklinfoodpantry.org/2014/06/dave-matthews-helps-food-pantry.html


What will the $2,400 be used for? The Food Pantry already purchases some Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) shares from Hoffman Farms to provide fresh produce to our neighbors. These funds will either add to this program for this year or next year. The Hoffman Farm is located on Daniels St in Franklin.

Hoffman Farm, Daniels St - Franklin

Director Linda Sottile recognized with Community Service Award

The Franklin Food Pantry will launch a mobile food service next month, extending aid to the needy who, for whatever reason, cannot make it to the downtown pantry. 

Director Linda Sottile announced the new mobile pantry Friday during an event at the senior center, where she received a community service award from the Council on Aging. 

Linda Sottile and Ken Norman

Once a month, a truck will set out from the 43 West Central St. pantry loaded with supplies to a different location in town, including the senior center and the Central Park Terrace and Winter Street housing projects.

You can read the full article at the Milford Daily News: (subscription maybe required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/article/20140517/NEWS/140516695/1994/NEWS

The new truck the Franklin Food Pantry will use to become 'mobile'

For additional information about the Franklin Food Pantry, you can visit the webpage here

http://www.franklinfoodpantry.org/

or follow them on Facebook  https://www.facebook.com/FranklinFoodPantry

"Distributing food is just one piece of the puzzle"

The Milford Daily News writes about an increase in activity at food pantries in the area. They talked with Erin Lynch, Director of Development at the Franklin Food Pantry:

The pantry, Lynch said, is on an awareness and outreach campaign, looking at its operations through different lenses to determine how it can better help the roughly 600 households it serves. 

"In order to solve the problem, you have to really understand the problem," Lynch said. "That takes working with others in the community to understand what each group’s role is. Also it takes looking at our clients over a long period of time to understand how long they’ve been using our services. Or if they’ve stopped, why did they stop?" 

Lynch said that the increase has shown there are two storylines on the health of the economy — one rosier than the other.

Read more: http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/x1655343788/Milford-area-food-pantries-see-steady-increase-in-demand#ixzz2gePbRT2X


Related article:
Citizens Bank donates $525,000 as part of its One Million Meals program
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/10/citizens-bank-is-model-partner.html

"the Paintball Challenge surprises some people"

The 3rd Annual Fight Hunger Paintball Challenge will be held on Saturday. Town Councilor Glenn Jones has organized the event and additional details are available in this posting by the Milford Daily News.

From 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Fox 4, 159 Milford St., will donate $5 from every admission fee to the Franklin Food Pantry. Paintballers that day are also encouraged to bring non-perishable items and dry goods, along with their rifles and extra layers of clothing. 

"It’s a unique opportunity to raise awareness and necessary funds for the pantry," said organizer Glenn Jones, who started paintballing at 17. 

...

You don’t usually think of paintball as being part of a traditional fundraiser, but I think that’s what makes this event so appealing," Lynch, who has never participated in paintball, said. "The community gets pressed for donations all year, and it’s really nice to have something different for them to participate in." 

And the event comes as the pantry pivots into a crucial season, according to Lynch.
"This is a great time of year for us to have fundraisers, because the summer really depletes our shelves," she said. "This month — what we raise — will help bridge the gap between the emptiness of summer and when our big donations come in during the holidays."

Read more: http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/x1868840906/Annual-Paintball-Challenge-to-benefit-food-pantry-is-Saturday-in-Franklin#ixzz2fQLXqNij

For more information about the Food Pantry you can visit and donate securely online at
http://www.franklinfoodpantry.org/

Culinary Cabaret in the News

"We are incredibly grateful to the Franklin Performing Arts Company for their support," said Erin Lynch, Franklin Food Pantry Director of Development. "The Franklin Food Pantry is about so much more than handing out food. It is about giving people hope and nourishing the spirit of our community." 

The ticket price is $75 per person, which includes food, wine, craft beer and entertainment. The event will be held from 7 to 10 p.m. at Clarke, The Ultimate Kitchen Resource and Culinary Center, 393 Fortune Boulevard.

Read more: http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/x1433793545/Culinary-Carbaret-to-benefit-Franklin-food-pantry#ixzz2MwYYhe13

Additional information including ticket purchase can be found on the FPAC webpage
http://fpaconline.givezooks.com/events/the-best-ticket-in-town/

This was also posted to Franklin Matters
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/03/culinary-cabaret-friday-mar-8.html

"pledges are still arriving"

Milford Daily News reporter Matt Tota talked with Erin Lynch, Food Pantry Development Director to get a recap of the recent phone-a-thon:

This weekend’s fundraising effort had more than 35 chipper volunteers staffing 15 phones at Dean College’s calling center. Working in shifts, they tackled a list of 3,500 households, calling 90 percent of them, said Erin Lynch, the pantry’s development director. 

"The volunteers did a great job of reaching out to residents and increasing the awareness for the pantry," Lynch said Monday. 

Extra chairs had to be procured because more volunteers arrived for the six-hour telethon than expected. After their shifts ended, some were so locked in that they begged to continue manning the phones. 

"People get really excited when a call goes well," Lynch said.

Read more: http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/x1433785430/Franklin-Food-Pantrys-Phone-A-Thon-a-success#ixzz2LLMPuI6x

Dean College bulldog

Our thanks to Dean College for providing the facilities and phones, to all the volunteers for their enthusiastic help making the calls and to all the donors who are following through on their pledges to help!

"the giving season spans the entire year"

Franklin Phone-A-Thon to raise money for pantry

by Matt Tota/Daily News staff

Losing a day to the Blizzard of 2013 has not deterred the more than 30 volunteers for today’s Franklin Food Pantry Phone-A-Thon from endeavoring to beat last year’s fundraising total.

Those staffing the phones have a list of more than 3,000 residents to call. "There’s 15 phones, and we have three different shifts," Lynch said, adding that Dean has graciously offered to feed the volunteers. 

That makes for a lot of dialing, but also a lot of excitement. 

"It’s absolutely fun," Lynch said. "It’s a great way for people to feel like they are making a difference." 

And whatever the final amount, she said, "We’re so grateful for all of the community’s support. It’s been wonderful."

Read more: http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/x1433784738/Franklin-Phone-A-Thon-to-raise-money-for-pantry#ixzz2L3vtZ3Ya

To make a secure donation online, you can visit the Franklin Food Pantry webpage
http://www.franklinfoodpantry.org/


This was also posted to Franklin Matters
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/02/the-giving-season-spans-entire-year.html

In the News: Food Elves lending a hand!

The Franklin Food Elves are back for another round of "12 Days of Donating". The Milford Daily News reports on their efforts for the Franklin Food Pantry:

"It’s not the stereotypical family coming in here," Sottile said. "It’s the neighbors; it’s the people who are working. You could have both parents working and still not make enough money to provide." 

Erin Lynch, the food pantry’s developmental director, said Friday the drive brings in the whole town. 

"We love to see the community come together on this," Lynch said. "You can always accomplish more together. This event shows that when you work as a team, you can maximize your resources for the greatest results." 

She added, "When you look at the ways something like this benefits the community, it’s not just the recipients here at the food pantry: It’s any organization that needs help. When you have kids learn they can make a difference, it benefits everybody."

Read more: http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/x719500551/Franklin-food-elves-back-for-another-year-of-giving#ixzz2DnulQDdm

More about the Food Elves and the Franklin Downtown Partnership
http://www.franklindowntownpartnership.org/2012/11/food-drive-kicks-off-thursday.html

D’Amato: The changing face of hunger

Catherine D'Amato is the President and CEO of the Greater Boston Food Bank (GBFB). She writes this column succinctly addressing the problem of hunger in MA. The Franklin Food Pantry sources a lot of the food we distribute from the GBFB.

Sent to you by Steve Sherlock via Google Reader:

D’Amato: The changing face of hunger

via Wicked Local Franklin Opinions RSS by Catherine D'Amato/Guest columnist on 9/12/12

Could you survive on $4 a day? For many, that barely covers their morning cup of coffee.  But living on $4 a day is the reality for millions of low income Americans who receive support through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the federal program formerly known as Food Stamps.

Things you can do from here:

• Subscribe to Wicked Local Franklin Opinions RSS using Google Reader
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When you give to charities, who really gets your money?

When the Franklin Food Pantry did its first phone-a-thon during 2011, it was an all volunteer effort that resulted in a 100% yield to the Food Pantry. Dean College provided access to their phone bank and over 40 volunteers made calls to about 2400 Franklin households. The full story can be found here: http://www.franklinmatters.org/2011/06/franklin-food-pantry-says-thanks-to-you.html

Sent to you by Steve Sherlock via Google Reader:

When you give to charities, who really gets your money?

via The Milford Daily News News RSS by Danielle Ameden/Daily News staff on 1/7/12

The phone rings during dinner. It's a professional solicitor, calling to raise money for the local police union. The smooth talker convinces you to donate $100. You write out a check. Here's what you might not realize: Only $37 goes to the union, which uses the money to support youth sports teams and the local food pantry. The fundraising company gets the rest — all $63 of it.

Things you can do from here:

• Subscribe to The Milford Daily News News RSS using Google Reader
• Get started using Google Reader to easily keep up with all your favorite sites

"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