Help Franklin Letter Carriers “Stamp Out Hunger” on Saturday

The Franklin Food Pantry, which provides supplemental food assistance to households in Franklin,  is partnering with Franklin letter carriers for the Stamp Out Hunger food drive. On Saturday, May 11, 2024, Franklin residents are encouraged to leave a bag of nonperishable food items by their mailbox. Letter carriers will collect the donations and deliver the items to the Franklin Food Pantry. From January to March 2024, demand for food assistance at The Pantry increased 41 percent from the same time last year. The letter carrier led event will help fill The Pantry shelves and assist neighbors who are experiencing food insecurity.

“The Stamp Out Hunger food drive restocks our shelves and provides nutritious food for our neighbors who rely on The Pantry for assistance,” said Anne McGillis, Operations Director, Franklin Food Pantry. “We are grateful to the Franklin community and our hard-working letter carriers for their generosity and commitment to helping end hunger in our community.”

Nationally, the Stamp Out Hunger food drive provides residents with plastic bags for food donations. To offer a more sustainable option, The Pantry collaborated with Franklin letter carriers to distribute brown paper bags along with food drive instructions prior to the May event.

Donors are not required to use the bag provided by The Pantry and can place donations in any sturdy bag for letter carriers. Numerous volunteers, including Car Max, Dell-ISG Storage and Networking Procurement, Eaton, Franklin Federated Church, U12 Franklin Bulldogs Baseball Team, and Vendetti Motors prepared the bags and food drive instructions, and Allegra Print and Marketing and Central Paper Company, Inc. donated the brown paper bags.

The Pantry will accept unopened, unexpired nonperishable items including boxed cereal, mashed potatoes and stuffing, and canned goods including baked beans and cranberry sauce, as well as personal hygiene products including shampoo, soap, detergent, cleaning supplies, and dry cat and dog food. Items that cannot be accepted include fresh produce, perishable items, baby food, expired items, opened items, and medications. For a complete list of most needed items, please visit www.franklinfoodpantry.org/stampouthunger/.

Private communities, households that miss collection times, or those who are unable to support the campaign on the day of the event can bring donations to the Franklin Food Pantry, 341 W Central St. in Franklin, and place items in the purple bin on the loading dock at the back of the building. Items can also be shipped directly using The Pantry’s Amazon Wish List. Since its initial launch in 1993, Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive has grown into the nation’s largest one-day food drive collecting approximately 1.9 billion pounds of food for those in need nationwide. Franklin letter carriers have consistently provided their support for The Pantry and are essential partners in helping end hunger in the community.

The Franklin Food Pantry, Inc. offers supplemental food assistance, household necessities, andresource referral programs to more than 1,300 individuals per year. The Pantry relies ondonations and grants to purchase items and pay for daily operations, and partnerships with The Greater Boston Food Bank, Spoonfuls, and local grocery stores to achieve greater buying power and lower costs. Programs include In-person Shopping, Curbside Pick-up, EmergencyFood Bags, Mobile Pantries, Home Delivery, Kids’ Snack Bags, Weekend Backpacks, Holiday Meal Kits, and the SNAP match at Franklin Farmers Market. The Pantry is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization in good standing in Massachusetts, recognized by Charity Navigator as a Four-Star Charity, and awarded GuideStar’s Platinum Transparency ranking. The Pantry is located at 341 W Central St. in Franklin, MA on Route 140. Please visit www.franklinfoodpantry.org for more information.