Meet Marsha
We are excited to welcome Marsha Tait as our new Fund Development Director! Marsha comes to us with extensive fund development experience including most recently serving as Executive Director of LITERACYCNY, a community-based adult literacy organization in Central New York that provides instructional services to adults with limited English proficiency and literacy skills. Marsha has over 26 years of experience as a nonprofit executive in staff and Board positions with local, state and national organizations. In 2018, the CNY Business Journal News Network named her the Nonprofit Executive of the Year.
We sat down with Marsha to get to know her better and learn more about her plans for The Pantry!
Why did you join the Franklin Food Pantry?
When I moved to Franklin in November 2020, it was during the height of the Pandemic. I spent a lot of time sitting in a chair and looking out the window and wondering what was next for me. In February, I started to do some networking and Greg Safford of Safford Insurance suggested I talk to the Downtown Partnership and Tina Powderly (Executive Director of the Franklin Food Pantry.) Tina asked me to join the Food Pantry's Fund Development Committee. I also volunteer for the Franklin Nonprofit Network and found my way to the steering committee. When the Food Pantry's Fund Development Director position became available, Tina reached out to me to see if I was interested. I was!
For me raising funds to help fight food insecurity is a good evolution from my work in adult literacy. Before someone can learn to read, they need to have their basic needs covered... stable food, clothing, and a place to live. It's interesting to learn about such an important human service field while using the skills I developed in my previous positions.
What do you hope to accomplish?
I hope to lend my skills and experiences to help the Food Pantry during this period of growth and transition. I'm very excited about the capital campaign and about the process of selecting a new building: managing the campaign, and raising the money for the next chapter. Why, that's just fun!!
What do you like to do in your spare time?
I moved to Franklin to be closer to my family. We are enjoying all the fall activities like apple picking and decorating with pumpkins. I love spending time with my two-year old grand-daughter and I have discovered a latent talent for toddler arts and crafts! I also have a Cavachon named Lily Bean who was my constant companion during the pandemic and we all enjoy spending time with her. When I'm not with my family, I am an avid reader of fiction. I LOVE Halloween and favorite past costumes include literary characters like Professor McGonagall and Cruella Deville.
What do you like about Franklin so far?
I enjoyed going to the Farmers Market this summer and the Harvest Fair. Every person I have met or encountered as been very warm and friendly!
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