Food Bank Snap Shots

Everything But The Turkey!

The holidays may feel far away but trust us when we say - it is never too early to help The Franklin Food Bank prepare!

Holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas can be a SUPER DUPER busy time at an organization like ours. It is our goal to ensure that no family in our community spends the season without a holiday meal, complete with all the staples!

In past years, holiday food drives have served as an important engine to keep our shelves stocked all through the season so that families experiencing food insecurity can enjoy the holiday cheer together around a shared and hearty meal.

Covid-19 has made food drives look a little different! No longer do we have a revolving door of large groups volunteering around the holidays, helping us to sort through the various foods donated by wonderful people like you! (Though we look forward to this coming back someday!) Our staff and small number of volunteers must remain very focused on serving the community and we are all (as is everyone) unsure of the future.

So here's an idea on how you can directly help the food bank ensure no one goes hungry in Franklin for Thanksgiving in a way that works very well for us: hold a special 2021 food drive!!!

The Franklin Food Bank is offering two special kinds of food drives this year:

Everything But The Turkey or

Virtual Food Drive!

"Everything But The Turkey" (check out the flyer below!) is essentially a box of fixins that go with a holiday meal! The Franklin Food Bank is planning on gathering two thousand individually packed holiday boxes by November 1st! You can help us get there!!!

*Please note this is the only food-based food drive we are asking the community run this year*

Virtual Food Drives help the food bank make sure we have enough turkeys, chickens and hams for the community! In 2020, Virtual Food Drives were super popular in offices, schools and neighborhoods! They are also a great way to triple your impact: what you can purchase with $3, the food bank can get with $1.

We would love to work with your school, business or organization to set up a holiday food drive this fall. If you are interested in taking part, please email Allie O’Brien at AOBrien@ftfb.us for more information! We are happy to answer any questions you might have, and we can work together to schedule your food drive drop-off at the food bank!

We thank you in advance for your support and we look forward to another holiday season helping to meet the food needs of our community in an atmosphere of dignity and respect.

What's Going On?

Golf Fore Groceries is Back in The Swing on September 20th!

The Franklin Food Bank is PROUD to bring back our Golf Outing for the first time in three years! Yay!!

This year's theme is "Restock The Bunker" at Bunker Hill. We will be playing to replenish our bunker of non-perishable goods, one pallet at a time. The Golf Outing will take place at Bunker Hill Golf Course in Franklin Township (of course!)

Time is of the essence! If you would like to golf in this outing but have yet to register to play, you can register now by clicking here!

To learn more about this year's golf outing or find ways for your business to sponsor, click here.

See you out there on the course!

Staff Spotlight

Ellen Zimmerman

Human Resources Director

For this month’s staff spotlight, we would like to highlight our HR Director, Ellen, for all of the amazing work she does at the food bank and beyond!

Ellen started her work with us in 2017 as Volunteer Coordinator, where she enjoyed having the opportunity to work with our awesome, passionate volunteers! In 2019, Ellen played an important role in our transition to a Client Choice program for our food distribution and again in 2020 during our pivot to the Covid-19 program.

But Ellen’s work does not stop here in Franklin. In her hometown of Scotch Plains, Ellen serves as a town councilmember. She was elected into the position last November with the most votes in an election in the town’s history! Go Ellen!!! As a council member, Ellen serves on the BOE, PTA, Municipal Alliance, and Community Development.

Ellen is someone who truly goes above and beyond to help those around her and we couldn’t be luckier to have her as part of our food bank team!

We Are All In This Together!

The holiday season can be very tough for people in the community and especially for those facing a food crisis. Hunger is difficult to "see" - it could be your next door neighbor, the parent cheering next to you at your child's soccer game, or someone who works at the same job as you.

If you or someone you know in Franklin Township in need of food - please don't hesitate to reach out to us. You will find friendly faces and caring people ready to serve your needs in an atmosphere of dignity and respect.

Just call us - anytime, day or night - and record a message with your information and needs. We'll handle the rest.

732-246-0009

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