"hunger was not an issue of scarcity but rather a matter of logistics"

"here in the United States, nearly 40 million people experience hunger every single year, including more than 11 million children that go to bed hungry every night. Yet, we're wasting more food than ever before -- more than 80 billion pounds a year, to be exact. The EPA estimates that food waste has more than doubled between 1970 and 2017, and now accounts for 27 percent of everything in our landfills. And as this food sits, it gradually rots and produces harmful methane gas, a leading contributor to global climate change. We have the waste of the food itself, the waste of all the money associated with producing this now-wasted food and the waste of labor with all of the above. And then there's the social inequity between people who really need food and can't get it and people who have too much and simply throw it away.

All of this made me realize that hunger was not an issue of scarcity but rather a matter of logistics. So in 2017, I set out to end hunger using technology. After all, food delivery apps had begun to explode on the scene, and I thought surely we can reverse-engineer this technology and get food from businesses like restaurants and grocery stores and into the hands of people in need. I believe that technology and innovation have the power to solve real problems, especially hunger. "

https://www.ted.com/talks/jasmine_crowe_what_we_re_getting_wrong_in_the_fight_to_end_hunger/transcript

yes, it is birthday time

That time of year has rolled around again. I try not to make too much of the day, it is really just one more to be grateful for waking up in this wonderfully challenging environment.

I won't do a birthday challenge with Facebook. They don't need your data. There are way too many opportunities for them to misuse it.

If you do chose to mark my day with a donation to a worthy cause, I have several suggestions where you can make a donation.

Honor Flight - the group organizes trips to the war memorials in Washington, DC. My brothers and I were fortunate to take Dad there before he passed on and it is a very worthy cause.
https://www.honorflight.org/

Reading is Fundamental - yes, learning is lifelong and reading is one of the keys to that process.
https://secure.rif.org/page/7549/donate/

American Cancer Society - I lost both my parents and a number of other relatives and friends to this disease.  https://www.cancer.org/

Crohn's and Colitis Foundation - coincidentally. Dec 1-7 is awareness week. One of my daughters has Crohn's so this is also a cause close to home.
http://www.crohnscolitisfoundation.org/

Horace Mann Education Association - a Franklin based org doing wonderful work with those challenged by a disability. My cousin had Down syndrome so this is close to home too.  https://www.hmea.org/

Franklin Food Pantry - and last but not least, if not Franklin, every community should be serviced by a food pantry or food bank to help those challenged by food insecurity.  https://www.franklinfoodpantry.org/

Dad recounting a story for Mark, Bob, Mike and I in WDC 2007

#GivingTuesday

The day after Thanksgiving is "Black Friday".

The Monday after Thanksgiving is "Cyber Monday"

In response to these two commercial efforts, there is "#Giving Tuesday"

Franklin Food Pantry appreciates #GivingTueday

#GivingTuesday to help the Franklin Food Pantry provide every day

Thanksgiving and the other end of year holidays bring many folks around a dinner table to enjoy a good meal with the family and friends. While the awareness of hunger is heightened during this time of year, the reality is such that hunger is a year round problem.

The Franklin Food Pantry looks for ways to enable a sustaining volume of donations so that those they serve can be provided for throughout the year.

For #givingTuesday, there are several ways you can help the Food Pantry.

You can help in the following ‘traditional’ ways

• Donate food or non-food items. Why non-food items? For those on WIC or SNAP benefits, purchases of personal health care products are restricted. A person needs those just as much as healthy food to live a good life. Review the listing of non-food items for the Healthy Futures shelf.

• Donate money through the Food Pantry website with a one time payment, or set up a recurring payment. The website allows for payments from bank accounts or credit cards.

For the holiday season you might consider

• The Franklin Food Elves will be collecting for the Food Pantry in their annual "12 Days of Giving" campaign.  "More than 60 Food Elves will be collecting goods in neighborhoods around Franklin. If you don't have an Elf in your neighborhood, you can still participate in the food drive! Look for the red collection bins at participating Franklin Downtown Partnership member businesses. For additional information, check here.

• Buying a ticket or two, or more for “A Christmas Carol, Times Two!” A dramatic reading of the classic story  Charles Dickens with musical accompaniment. Thursday, Dec 12th at the Franklin United Methodist Church. Tickets $10 per person. Tickets are on sale and can be purchased in advance through BrownPaperTickets.com/, either on-line or by calling their 24/7 toll-free number 1-800-838-3006  For additional details on this performance check here.

You can also help by

• Purchasing a “Franklin Pride” bead or necklace or bracelet. These items are carefully crafted in the Franklin blue and buff colors and make great gifts throughout the year. Birthdays, Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day to mention just a few. A percent of the purchase price comes to the Food Pantry thanks to the collaboration with Beads for a Cause

• Consider “Sponsoring a Shelf”. Contact Erin Lynch, Development Director to discuss how this would work for your budget. She can provide examples of items (peanut butter or toilet paper for example) that the Food Pantry uses on a regular basis. Your donation could provide the funds to keep a shelf stocked with that item for a set period of time. Your name (business or family) would be placed on the shelf to help provide recognition for your contribution.

• Last but not least, you can find the Franklin Food Pantry on Facebook. “Like” the page and enable notifications to your timeline as the Food Pantry makes updates so you will always be “in the know”. Share items you find are worthy with your friends and neighbors so the Food Pantry can reach all of the Franklin user on Facebook!

• If you have a Twitter account, you can also find and follow the Food Pantry

• If you use LinkedIn, you can find updates from the Food Pantry

When you sit for your next meal, please give thanks for what you have. Please consider giving when you can to help the Food Pantry provide for others in Franklin throughout the year.


This was first posted on the Franklin Food Pantry website
http://www.franklinfoodpantry.org




Note: I am privileged to serve as Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Franklin Food Pantry

When kids don't listen

Several weeks again as Dolores and I were approaching our significant birthdays, we told our daughters we didn't want a party. We had made plans to go away for a weekend to Portland, ME and would schedule a family dinner to celebrate.

Saturday, Nov 23rd turned out to be the date among the various calendar commitments that worked for the six of us to go out to dinner. Carolyn and Dan would be home from Boston. Allison's travel for Assumption would be finished. Brad didn't have a game event to go to. All would work out well.

Saturday arrived, Dolores and I divvied up the chores and then we got to our errands. Dan's parents were going to meet us for a drink and late lunch at British Beer Company. We'd come home and be ready for dinner somewhere local with reservations for 6:30 PM.

The day flew by, the chores were accomplished, the meeting and conversation with Dan's parents went well so we left (just before 5:00 PM) with time to spare to be home and then go to dinner. Why we even had time to add a few steps to the walk across the parking lot to Stop & Shop to get some Molly McButter as that had been on the list for shopping and two stops were unsuccessful. The third time was going to be the charm!

As we walked across the parking lot, Allie texted to let us know that Carolyn and Dan had arrived. Good. I replied back that we were about to stop for the Molly McButter and then be home soon. We did get it, drove home and as I was unloading the other items from our earlier errands, Allie was on the landing waiting for me to get to the stairs. Did we stop and think there might be something up? No. She was greeting us as we came home. She had done so before. However as the door opened, there was a shout of "SURPRISE!" and HAPPY BIRTHDAY!...

Yes, the girls as well behaved and such good upstanding young ladies as they are had not obeyed our instructions. No, not at all. So instead of a quiet dinner for the six of us at a local restaurant, we walked into a host of family and friends, many of whom had traveled some distance to surprise us.

Surprised? Yes, we were. I certainly was. I had no clue.

The party had a fifty's bowling theme to it and was a combination of home goods, crowd sourced and catered food and drink. Plenty to go around for all. we had taught the girls well!

Dan and Cassie at the ice cream soda fountain

One of the better parts of the evening was that there were no gifts to be brought. Instead, we were honored to collect over 100 pounds of food goods and over $150 for the Franklin Food Pantry!

the collection for the food pantry

So when your kids misbehave like this, what would you do?

I had tears in my eyes as I thanked them many times!



Note - there will be additional photos to share. A slideshow was put together of Dolores and I through the years. Many gems to be seen there!

Calling for the Pantry!

Volunteers for the Franklin Food Pantry will be calling residents of Franklin, MA as part of a fundraising effort during specific time periods on Saturday, Feb 9, 2013. The volunteers will be using the phone bank at Dean College to call residents.  

The volunteers will announce that this is the 3rd annual phone call fundraising effort for the Food Pantry. The Pantry is looking to raise funds to provide for the over 600 individuals it services each month.

Franklin Food Pantry - new logo

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.

If using a credit card, donors will be asked to visit the Food Pantry website and make a secure transaction with their credit card. 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. If you would like to help with this effort, please call the Food Pantry.

Saturday, Feb 9th
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.


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



Note: yes, this is the new logo for the Franklin Food Pantry. You will see more of it as the Pantry continues to spread the word about the good work it does for our Franklin neighbors.

12 Days of Donating: Day 12

On the last day of the "12 Days of Donating", let's continue to look back through the events of the year and see how much we can be thankful for in Franklin.

We are still in December, so to try and reflect on the month while only in the middle is a bit fool hardy. The tree has been purchased but not yet set up or decorated. Cookies are being made. Plans are being reviewed, action items completed, presents wrapped and perhaps shipped to places far from Franklin to arrive in time.

There'll be places to go, people to see: performances of the Nutcracker (Dec 15 and 16 at the Patti Eisenhauer Dance Center); Midsummer Night's Dream (Dec 19 and 20 at Franklin High School)... A Christmas Carol at the United Methodist Church this Thursday, Dec 13. 

In your travels around Franklin, consider dropping off a contribution of food or non-food items, to the Food Elves and the Franklin Downtown Partnership for their 12 Days of Donating drive. The people of Franklin receive the real benefits of such collaboration!

Donation bins are available at these participating businesses:

• Berry Insurance, 9 Main St.
• Chestnut Dental Associates, 38 Pond St.
• Dean Bank, 21 Main St.
• Dean College, Campus Center
• DCU, 500 West Central St.
• East Coast Driving School, 25 East Central St.
• Emma’s Quilt Cupboard, 12 Main St.
• Franklin Downtown Partnership Office, 9 East Central St.
• Jane’s Frames, 11 East Central St.
• Murphy Business, 15 East Central St.
• RE/MAX Executive Realty, 445 Franklin Village Dr.

You can also make a donation securely through the Franklin Food Pantry web page

http://www.franklinfoodpantry.org/

Day 11 - http://www.franklinmatters.org/2012/12/12-days-of-donating-day-11.html
Day 10 - http://www.franklinmatters.org/2012/12/12-days-of-donating-day-10.html
Day 9 - http://www.franklinmatters.org/2012/12/12-days-of-donating-day-9.html
Day 8 - http://www.franklinmatters.org/2012/12/12-days-of-donating-day-8.html
Day 7 - http://www.franklinmatters.org/2012/12/12-days-of-donating-day-7.html
Day 6 - http://www.franklinmatters.org/2012/12/12-days-of-donating-day-6.html
Day 5 - http://www.franklinmatters.org/2012/12/12-days-of-donating-day-5.html
Day 4 - http://www.franklinmatters.org/2012/12/12-days-of-donating-day-4.html
Day 3 - http://www.franklinmatters.org/2012/12/12-days-of-donating-day-3.html
Day 2 - http://www.franklinmatters.org/2012/12/12-days-of-donating-day-2.html
Day 1 - http://www.franklinmatters.org/2012/11/12-days-of-donating-day-1.html

Birthday wish

As I take a few minutes to look back on 2012, my three word goals definitely helped me though the year.

I have learned about dealing with loss (here and here) and have worked through some challenging times with the Food Pantry. I have continued to share here and elsewhere. And laughter has definitely helped to carry me through the day.

So what is my birthday wish?

I don't expect you to follow my three word goals. It would be better for you to determine your own. You will should them. They should matter to you and those who surround you!

If you recall the lessons of Maslow's Hierarchy, food is right there on the bottom of the pyramid. It is a key building block to self actualization. I would like you to contribute in some way to your local food pantry.  Spend some time volunteering, contribute financially, or at least find out about what they are doing, how they are doing, and help to spread the word about their good work.

I support the Franklin Food Pantry because Franklin matters to me. Help me enjoy my birthday by doing something for your local food pantry!

Thank you


FYI - You can find a local food bank here  http://feedingamerica.org/foodbank-results.aspx

or a local food pantry here   http://www.ampleharvest.org/find-pantry.php

You can donate to the Franklin Food Pantry here  http://www.franklinfoodpantry.org/


Photo from the Turkey Trot Family Fun Run 5K held in Franklin on Thanksgiving to help the Franklin Food Pantry.  http://www.franklinmatters.org/2012/11/turkey-trot-family-5k-fun-run-photo.html

Happy Thanksgiving!

I am quite proud to be part of the Franklin community today.

just before the start of the race/walk


The Feed the Need Turkey Trot 5K race/walk drew over 300 participants who combined to fill the Franklin Food Pantry van with goods

and raise over $5,000 to help our neighbors!


This is a great start to Thanksgiving! I have so much to be grateful for. I wish you and your family all the best!

So much to be grateful for

The United Regional Chamber of Commerce held their annual Taste of the Region Tuesday evening. I was there to represent the Franklin Food Pantry and take back the collection that they were making for us.

At an event like this it is hard to not wear both hats; that of Franklin Matters and that of the Food Pantry. There were several conversations to share the information about the Food Pantry. These kinds of networking opportunities can be priceless. It is the little things when shared that allow for good to come together.

8% of Franklin

With your help, the Franklin Food Pantry has an opportunity to do more. Given the numbers here, we may not be serving all of these children. There may be several reasons why. So you can help in two ways:

1 - If you know of a family that is being challenged to provide sustaining meals, let them know that the Food Pantry is available to help them. Awareness of the Pantry and its operation is a good first step to serving all that we should.

2 - You can contribute food and non-food items, volunteer your time, or make a financial contribution to help the Pantry serve your neighbors.



For additional information on the Franklin Food Pantry, you can visit their webpage
http://www.franklinfoodpantry.org/



Note: I am working on the Board of Directors because Franklin matters very much to me.

Walk the talk

As you may know, it wasn't that long ago that I spent the better part of two years looking for work. The process was long and frustrating especially since most of the applications I submitted for open positions were never acknowledged. Days, weeks, months went by and I could only assume that since I had not heard from the company, I was not going to be part of their operation.

I don't often get to hire someone but now that the Franklin Food Pantry is looking for a Director of Development, I have a chance. As part of the process coordinating with the Board, I want to see that everyone who applies gets an acknowledgment of their interest. Most, if not all, will get a validation phone call to confirm their desire and set expectations around the salary.

We are a non-profit and can't pay much but do have something to offer that we think will be worthy of the position. We currently don't provide health benefits but if we continue to be able to build sustaining revenue, which this individual will be instrumental in, then that is up for consideration.

The 'short-list' of candidates will get an opportunity to interview with some members of the Board and our Operations Director. After the interviews, we'll compare notes, discuss the candidate pros/cons and make a decision.

Acknowledgement of the candidates interest and then a follow up to let them know of their status is very important. The job market is still tough. There are so many well qualified folks looking. We need to do our part properly. We will. I will make sure of that.

Franklin Food Pantry looking for a Director of Development

Updated 10/7/12 - We have selected a fine candidate and will be notifying all the other candidates that have applied. Thank you for your interest!

---------------

Do you know someone that has a talent for building relationships with local business and community groups for a non-profit?

Do you know someone looking for part-time work in a non-profit environment doing good by helping the Franklin community?

If the answer to either of these questions is yes, then please send them this info so they can follow through with the Franklin Food Pantry!






How to Apply
To apply for this position, send a cover letter and resume highlighting your qualifications to FFP.Hiring@franklinfoodpantry.org


This was originally posted to the Franklin Food Pantry webpage here
http://www.franklinfoodpantry.org/2012/09/food-pantry-is-looking-for-director-of.html

For those who may not be aware, I am on the Board of Directors and will be part of the hiring process.

Gardening for the hungry (video)

Grow a Greener Garden shares a program PBS did on Ample Harvest founder Gary Oppenheimer.

After finding his garden too bountiful, gardener Gary Oppenheimer gave his excess harvest away to friends and neighbors, and soon that route was maxed out as well. He didn’t want to waste great food, so after donating the rest to a local women’s shelter, the idea grew to figure out a way to connect home gardeners to the food banks who are prepared to handle and distribute fresh produce. 

So Gary founded AmpleHarvest.org, with a focus on doing just that, so that surplus harvest can go to hunger relief and not the compost bin. Today, from Master Gardening groups to your friends and neighbors, more people are sharing the bounty and there are some great and easy ways for you to do the same.

You can view the PBS episode here Episode 220: Gardening for the Hungry (time = 1 hour)

Gary Oppenheimer also spoke to the TEDxManhattan event in February (time = 14 minutes)




The Franklin Food Pantry is registered with Ample Harvest.

This was cross-posted on Franklin Matters

Hunger lives near you

Will you help your neighbor? Statistics show that 1 in 9 children in MA face hunger. Take these statistics from the state level down to Franklin and they show more than 3,000 residents may be struggling with food security.




The Food Pantry respects the privacy and confidentiality of those we service. We can tell you that these people are living among us. They are our neighbors. They don’t like to talk about this challenge to put food on the table but it is real.

The Food Pantry is conducting its 2nd Annual Phonathon on Saturday Feb 18 and again on Satursday, Feb 25. You can wait for us to call between 10:00 AM and 6:00 PM or you can make a contribution on your own.

You can make a contribution securely online at FranklinFoodPantry.org/

or

You can write a check to mail it to the Food Pantry at

Franklin Food Pantry
P.O. Box 116
Franklin, MA 02038-0116

Note: email subscribers will need to click through to Franklin Matters to view the video. I am on the Board of Directors of the Franklin Food Pantry. This volunteer effort on my part is giving back to this community because it matters!

This was originally posted on Franklin Matters
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2012/02/hunger-lives-near-you.html

Random thoughts

Busy times with Food Pantry Board of Directors work - slogging through formative documents, defining process and procedure to meet our needs today and set up for what comes later, when perhaps none around the table will be there. Not easy work getting all to the same page.

The Town Council approved the date for the debt exclusion vote (Mar 27th) and the text that was forced upon us by the state leaves out the dollar amount so it seems to be approving a 'blank check'. Who in their right mind would do such a thing is beyond me at the moment. The challenge will now be to convince folks it is a good deal and is bounded cost wise by other measures. Could have been so much simpler.

Dad's health issues haven't improved much recently. A new scan may provide some insights either today or tomorrow on his status.

Be good, learn something today. Share it in a meaningful way with someone and find a laugh or two! Doing at least these three things will make the day a success!

Leveraging the power of a dollar

With my birthday approaching, I am using the occasion to raise some money for the Franklin Food Pantry.



A dollar will help to provide 5 meals for a family in Franklin. $20 will provide a hundred meals. How does the Franklin Food Pantry do this? Our network of suppliers helps extend the power of your donation.

Thank you!


Note: If you want to have the tax credit for your contribution, feel free to go to the Franklin Food Pantry website. Scroll down the home page to find the Google Checkout and make your donation securely there: http://franklinfoodpantry.org/

Franklin Food Pantry gets covered

It is not about me, never has been. The good work being done by the Franklin Food Pantry is highlighted in the November issue of the Franklin Town News which you can view online here

http://issuu.com/localtownpages/docs/franklin_november_paper?mode=window&proSidebarEnabled=true&backgroundColor=%23222222

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

Feb 19, 1945

I had a glorious morning yesterday, meeting with Michelle Clay and Anne Marie Bellavance at the Franklin Food Pantry. Michelle has volunteered to pull together a cook book of healthy recipes for the Food Pantry. She is enjoying the exercise, trying new recipes, exploring how to best do this for the Food Pantry. She wrote up her version of our meeting yesterday. While she was giddy, I am still dancing with joy!

Frank Moody, my brother-in-law, took Dad to lunch with a bunch of Frank's police friends. Many of them are Marines like Dad and yesterday was not just a Saturday lunch, yesterday was also the 66th anniversary of the landing on Iwo Jima. Frank wrote about the lunch and conversation to share Jerry's Story, in particular:

Yesterday was typical with Matt Wolf of INFORCE tactical lights showing A US ARMY SPECIAL FORCES SERGEANT a new tactical light. Jerry was duly impressed. He listened with rapt attention. I asked him what kind of light he used hunting in the caves on Iwo?

"oh sunlight.". 

Followed by the trade mark grin and laugh. The SF sergeant who has been back and forth to Iraq and A-Stan on numerous expeditions gave me a knowing look. It is the glance and acknowledgement of reverence from one professional to another about Jerry and those guys like him. They are described as Rock Stars. Truly.

I consider myself so lucky!