Update on website

Our domain name issue has been resolved. We are back in service!

You can find us at franklinfoodpantry.org!

If you happen to forget and try franklinfoodpantry.com or franklinfoodpantry.net, no problem, you'll still get here!

Thanks for your patience during this time. We have been continuing to serve our clients during this time. Good food and fresh produce has been provided through the efforts of our volunteers coordinated by our Operations Director, Linda Sottile!


Updated 9/2/12 Noon - email to any of the "@FranklinFoodPantry.org" email addresses were not delivered for approx. a 24 hour period over Sep 1 and ending noontime Sep 2. If you did send something to one of these email addresses, you can resend it now and it will be delivered. Hopefully, given that it was Labor Day weekend, it was very quiet and did not affect too many folks.

Important Update

After resurrecting the Franklin Food Pantry from almost closing its doors, Executive Director Anne Marie Bellavance has resigned to return to a career in Human Resources. In the 30 months since Bellavance took on the role of Executive Director the Pantry has become financially stable. The Pantry is now providing more food and non-food items to 25% more clients compared to the prior fiscal year. In keeping with the strategy of providing healthy food, clients are now able to pick up fresh produce every week throughout the year.

The Board of Directors wishes Anne Marie all the best in her future endeavors. They appreciate all the great work that has been accomplished under her leadership.

The Pantry will remain operating in the capable hands of current Pantry Manager Linda Sottile. The Pantry is open from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM Tuesday through Friday.

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We believe in the power of community. Our mission is to connect the resources needed to sustain a healthy life. The Franklin Food Pantry was established in 1987. We provide supplemental food and non-food items to those in need in Franklin. The Food Pantry was housed in various temporary locations until June 2009 when thanks to the generosity and support of Rockland Trust, the Pantry moved to our current home at 43 West Central Street. The Franklin Food Pantry is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

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

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.

Franklin Food Pantry - Spring Update

Thank you for your interest in the Franklin Food Pantry.  Spring is here and we are looking forward to the beginning of our local, fresh produce season!

You are invited to join us for an Oxfam Hunger Banquet this Tuesday, March 29th, 7pm @ Dean College Campus Center (invitation attached).  This event is a simulation  of the reality of hunger in the world, with people eating a meal that corresponds to their randomly assigned income level. Suggested donation is non-perishable food items to be donated to the Franklin Food Pantry.

Many of you have been asking how to get more involved in the Giving Garden and/or the Franklin Community Gardens that will be located at the King Street Playground.  Plans are progressing quickly and many volunteers are needed.  Please email franklincommunitygardens@gmail.com to join this exciting community group.

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.  We will be looking for a summer intern (college student) to assist with the development of this program (15-20 hours a week, May - Aug).  Please email annemarie@franklinfoodpantry.org if interested in learning more.

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/

Mark your calendars - Saturday, May 14th is Stamp Out Hunger day. More information will be in our April newsletter.

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.

Thanks to the generosity of our community, we distributed more than 14,000 bags to more than 800 neighbors in 2010. We received more than 50,000 lbs of food and non-food donations and also many monetary donations.  Thanks to our relationship with the Greater Boston Food Bank a $20 donation can provide up to 100 meals and we are excited to now be able to accept donations online at our website www.franklinfoodpantry.org

Gratitude Hugs to all those who donated more than 500 canvas grocery bags.  We are again humbled by the generosity and support of this wonderful community.

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.

Current Needs

Donations accepted Tuesday thru Friday 9am - 1pm 

or can be placed in collection bin on our front porch anytime

Cleaning Products – Laundry, Dish, All Purpose

Paper Products – Toilet Paper, Kleenex, Paper Towels, Feminine

Health & Beauty – Shampoo, Pump Soap, Body Wash, Deodorant

Canned Meat / Fish

Broth / Beef Soup / Dry Soup

Canned Pasta (chef boyardeeish)

Baked Beans

Potatoes

Cereal

Chili / Taco / Meal Helpers

Condiments / Dressings

Flavored Rice and/or Pasta Side Dishes

Baking Mixes and/or Spices

Fresh and Frozen Produce always welcome!

Thank you for making a difference!

(Please check expiration dates)