“Meal Train” Needs Public's Support for the Palmieri Family

According to Franklin resident, Theresa Shea, the bond that links your true family is not always one of blood, but one of Respect, Support, and Standing with you in the ups and downs of life. Members of your `family' are not always under your own roof, but live in your community and your heart. That’s why Theresa says she is asking the Franklin community to support the Palmieri family Meal Train page. 

Bianca Palmieri, wife of Sergeant Nicholas Palmieri of the Franklin Police, is a cancer survivor. Unfortunately, her cancer has returned. The Palmieri's are awaiting options but Bianca is unable to continue her work as an educator at Oak Street Elementary School.

The Palmieri's are a huge part of our community and it would be great if our community gave back to this amazing family, Theresa said. As a member of the group Franklin Forward, Theresa was involved in helping Sergeant Palmieri and other members of the group and of the police department with the Toys for Tots drive in 2020. 

Theresa and her family also got to know Nicholas a few years ago when he went above and beyond. He had encountered a woman on the street while on patrol and he recognized tht she needed help, and that her absence of mental capacity, wasn’t criminal but medical. He immediately drove the woman to Milford Hospital where a battery of tests determined that her behavior was the result of multiple brain tumors. 

The woman, Theresa’s sister, died within weeks but not before she got the medical care and support she needed. “Officer Palmieri was her guardian angel, we are so grateful,” Theresa said.

To help the Palmieri’s, a donation page has been set up by members of the Franklin Police Department – and Theresa Shea and her family are working to get the word out. “Officer Palmieri was there for our family and sister when needed, we would like everyone to know we can all be there for his family now. They are such an important part of our community and now they really need our help,” she said.

Meal Train, a Vermont-based organization set up to facilitate community efforts to help people like the Palmieri family, has a website with more information on how to donate meals or gift cards at https://mealtrain.com/0okmov