Thank you for visiting the Franklin Food Pantry online. 

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, Gratitude Hugs to our many supporters who touched our hearts and shelves this past year – With you we are able to make a difference. Thank You.

If this is your first visit and you wish to receive our monthly newsletter or want to volunteer, please submit your information at the bottom of this page.  If you need food assistance, please call the Franklin Food Pantry at 508-528-3115.  Welcome.

Too many of us take food for granted. In 2009, 50.2 million Americans lived in food insecure households, 33 million adults and 17.2 million children. The 2010 Status Report on Hunger in Massachusetts notes that 660,000 people in the Commonwealth are struggling to put food on the table — nearly a 20 percent increase over the past year. Our data shows more than 3,000 Franklin residents, over 9 percent, may be struggling with food insecurity.

Thanks to the generosity of our community, we distributed more than 14,000 bags to more than 1,000 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 123,000 lbs, averaging 35 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 distribute 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. 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.

We hope 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 add your information at the bottom of this page to join our community newsletter email list or contact us if you are interested in getting more involved.

Thank you for your generosity. You are making a difference.

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.