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Franklin Food Pantry tells school committee 1,900 people used pantry last year; outlines school partnerships
Summary
Franklin Food Pantry presenters told the school committee that 1,900 people used the pantry last year and that the pantry distributed the equivalent of 67,000 grocery bags; they described in-person market shopping, curbside and mobile pantries, a weekend backpack program and school partnerships.
Laura Doherty of the Franklin Food Pantry told the school committee that 1,900 people accessed the pantry last year—‘‘500 more people than the total enrollment at Franklin High School,’’ she said—and that the pantry distributed the equivalent of 67,000 bags of groceries. Doherty described the pantry’s service model: an in-person market-style shopping experience, a Tuesday curbside drive-through, four mobile pantries in the community, and home delivery for clients who cannot travel.
Doherty and Tina Partly outlined school-focused efforts: a weekend backpack program that began as a 2018 pilot at the Parmenter School with 10 bags a week and has grown to 125 bags weekly distributed through every Franklin Public School. The pantry said 59% of distributed food is purchased and the remainder comes from food-recovery partners; the pantry also relies on volunteers and community partnerships. ‘‘We always have proteins,’’ Doherty said, and the pantry aims to include fresh produce, dairy and bakery items when possible.
Committee members asked about funding and how to support the pantry; presenters named the Stop & Shop Foundation and Greater Boston Food Bank as funding and procurement partners and said monetary donations give the pantry flexibility to purchase needed items at scale. Presenters highlighted volunteer needs and suggested high school volunteerism and course-credit partnerships as a possible path for sustained engagement.
Committee members raised stigma concerns for high school students who may not use the weekend backpack program; presenters suggested a discreet in-school mini-pantry funded by outside grants as a possible solution. The committee and pantry agreed to continue exploring school-based distribution options and ways to publicize current needs (an Amazon wish list and a weekly updated needs list on the pantry website).
The presentation emphasized rising demand and community reliance: presenters said the pantry partners with the senior center, FISH and GATRA for transportation and that volunteers number in the hundreds (presenters cited 125 weekly volunteers in one description; a committee member later referenced 607 volunteers).
