Showing posts with label elves. Show all posts
Showing posts with label elves. Show all posts

Sunday, January 19, 2014

Franklin Food Elves Bring In Record Donations


The Franklin Food Elves’ 2013 “12 Days of Donating” campaign exceeded goals on all fronts, collecting more than 3 tons of goods and $6,700 to benefit the Franklin Food Pantry well into the new year.

The 75 Food Elves, together with Franklin Downtown Partnership businesses, collected 7,357 pounds of non-perishable goods and $6,700 in the food drive last December. That is a significant increase over 2012 when 50 Elves collected just over 4,200 pounds of goods and $5,700.
http://www.franklindowntownpartnership.org/
Franklin Downtown Partnership

“Thanks to the Food Elves’ hard work and commitment, the donations have helped fill our shelves, allowing us to continue serving local families,” says Linda Sottile, director of operations for the Franklin Food Pantry. “It is amazing how this effort has grown thanks to Melissa and Cameron Piana and the many, many elves who have joined in over the years. It is heartwarming to see so many youth of Franklin getting involved.”

“According to the 2013 Status Report on Hunger in Massachusetts recently released by Project Bread, there are 700,000 households in our state for whom having enough to eat is a struggle,” says Erin Lynch, director of development for the Food Pantry. “This impacts us locally, yet many still don’t realize the magnitude of the issue.

“The ‘12 Days of Donating’ generates community awareness that will have a significant positive impact long after the holidays are over,” Lynch continues. “We are so grateful to the Food Elves for their record-breaking success and for rallying such tremendous support. To each and every person who contributed we thank you on behalf of more than 600 families we serve.”

Food Elves co-founder Cameron Piana is proud of the hard work of the Elves, who went door to door in neighborhoods to collect food and other necessities. “Students like to get involved in community service projects that are fun but also have a big impact,” says Piana. “This group has definitely made an impact and we are really happy that we beat our goal by more than a ton this year.”

Local businesses were deeply involved in the campaign. DCU donated $3,000 and once again Berry Insurance donated $1,000. Eight local FDP member businesses placed a donation bin at their location and each pledged $200 if the Elves hit their goal. Those businesses were DCU, Dean Bank, Dean College, Emma’s Quilt Cupboard, Franklin Downtown Partnership, Jane’s Frames, Murphy Business and Pour Richard’s Wine & Spirits.

Support snowballed to include companies and organizations outside of Franklin who donated goods and dollars upon hearing about the campaign.

“It’s gratifying to see the community response to this effort,” says Nicole Fortier, Downtown Partnership president. “We want to thank everyone involved for going above and beyond and supporting this campaign.”

Franklin Food Pantry
Franklin Food Pantry

For more information about the Franklin Food Elves campaign please contact the Franklin Downtown Partnership at downtown.franklin@yahoo.com. For more information about the Franklin Food Pantry please call (508) 528-3115 or go to their website, www.franklinfoodpantry.org.



Pictured left to right, front row: Nicole Fortier, Dean Bank and Downtown Partnership; Erin Lynch, Franklin Food Pantry; Linda Sottile, Franklin Food Pantry; Beth MacBrian, DCU.  Second row:  Kevin Goffe, Dean Bank; Ann Williams, Pour Richard's Wine & Spirits; Cameron Piana, Food Elves Co-founder; Haley Frank, Food Elves Captain; Dave Drucker, Dean College; Jane Curran, Jane's Frames.  Third row:  Cam Strouse, Emily Shea, Karen Cunningham, Evan Strouse, Carter Castillo. 

Seven of the 75 Food Elves, left to right:  Karen Cunningham, Emily Shea, Haley Frank, Evan Strouse, Cameron Piana, Carter Castillo and Cam Strouse.

Sunday, December 22, 2013

"This effort speaks to the spirit of our community"

The Milford Daily News reports on the Food Elves update:
The pantry has said that the students’ efforts serve as a learning experience for them and others: "It’s a nice way for them to start to understand that there’s a need out there, and that they are able to make a difference in addressing it," pantry director of development Erin Lynch told The Daily News in November. 
State Rep. Jeffrey Roy, D-Franklin, told of the elves success on Friday, said, "I am thrilled to hear that the Food Elves exceeded expectations for the food drive. This effort speaks to the spirit of our community and the will to make a difference in the lives of others. 
"Unfortunately, we have a great deal of people in need of assistance, but it’s gratifying to know that the work of the over 60 elves will make the holiday a bit brighter for those families."
Read more: http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/x915455378/Franklin-students-to-give-local-pantry-a-hefty-gift#ixzz2oCbEdnuY


The status update was posted earlier this week to the Food Pantry and Downtown Partnership websites and share here



When the final tally of the food and money collected by the Food Elves is available in January, it will be shared in the same manner.

On behalf of our neighbors who will receive the benefits of this generosity, Thank you!

Thursday, December 19, 2013

Franklin Food Elves Campaign Update


Franklin Downtown Partnership
The Franklin Food Elves "12 Days of Donating" will be ending this week.

Thank you to everyone who participated.  The Food Elves collected a Record 6,750 pounds of donations this year so far.  This is 2,550 pounds more than last year!

The Food Elves are hoping to add another 100 pounds to the total by the end of this week....so please stop by one of the participating businesses by Thursday if you still have donations.  


Red Bins can be found at: 
Dean Bank, Dean College, DCU, Downtown Partnership, Emma's Quilts, Jane's Frames, Murphy Business and Pour Richards.  

You can also mail or drop off check donations to the Food Pantry directly.

Have a very Merry Holiday Season!

The Franklin Downtown Partnership
The Franklin Food Elves

Tuesday, December 10, 2013

Food Elves closing out the "Twelve Days of Giving" this week

The Franklin Food Elves is partnering once again with the Franklin Downtown Partnership to support the Franklin Food Pantry.  Please stop by one of the participating businesses with your donations and help the Food Elves reach their goal.  You can also drop off checks to the pantry by December 14th.

Erin Lynch, in Santa hat with Franklin Food Elves
Erin Lynch, in Santa hat, with Franklin Food Elves

The enterprising and energetic Franklin Food Elves have been busy canvassing neighborhoods all around Franklin collecting goods during the “12 Days of Donating” campaign to benefit the Franklin Food Pantry. From December 1 to December 12, citizens can donate items in their own neighborhoods or at local participating businesses to help neighbors in need.

The Food Elves is a charitable community service group made up of more than 60 students ranging from elementary through high school. For the past two years they have joined forces with the Franklin Downtown Partnership to operate the “12 Days of Donating” campaign with great success. This year the Food Elves aim to beat last year’s record-breaking collection drive by raising more than $5,700 and 4,200 pounds of goods.

“The people who live and work in Franklin have been so generous that our ’12 Days of Donating’ campaign helped the Food Pantry give out about 17,000 meals to families last winter,” says Cameron Piana, Food Elves co-founder. “This town’s support has been awesome and we hope we can do more this year.”

According to the Food Pantry, about 600 households are registered to use Pantry services. This year’s need will be even greater due to a decrease in SNAP benefits in November. Health and hygiene items are not covered by those benefits and are a particular need

“The Food Elves truly bring out the magic of the holidays,” says Erin Lynch, Food Pantry director of development. “These amazing kids organize and implement one of the biggest drives of the entire year for the pantry. Their ’12 Days of Donating’ campaign provides thousands of pounds of food for those who need it. At the same time it fuels this community with what we all need: inspiration, hope and a shining example of the impact young people can make when they work together.”

Since early December, Food Elves have been notifying their neighbors about the collection campaign, including what items can be collected and the collection dates. Residents simply place bags of goods at their mailboxes on the designated pickup day and the Elves will do the rest. One collection date remains: Saturday, December 14.

In case there’s no Elf in your neighborhood, it is still easy to donate. The Elves have placed bright red collection bins at participating Downtown Partnership member businesses. If the Elves meet their goal of collecting more than 1,200 pounds of goods, each business has pledged to donate $200. You can drop off donations at the Food Pantry, 43 West Central St., and designate them for the “12 Days of Donating” drive.

Bins can be found at these participating locations:
  • Dean Bank, 21 Main St.
  • DCU, 500 West Central St
  • Dean College, Campus Center
  • Emma’s Quilt Cupboard, 12 Main St.
  • Franklin Downtown Partnership Office, 9 East Central St.
  • Jane’s Frames, 11 East Central St.
  • Murphy Business, 15 East Central St.
  • Pour Richard’s Wine & Spirits, 14 Grove St.


This was updated from the posting originally at the Franklin Downtown Partnership website
http://www.franklindowntownpartnership.org/2013/12/12-days-of-donating-going-on-now.html


Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Food Elves Coming to Your Neighborhood This December


The enterprising and energetic Franklin Food Elves soon will be canvassing neighborhoods all around Franklin collecting goods during the “12 Days of Donating” campaign to benefit the Franklin Food Pantry. From December 1 to December 12, citizens can donate items in their own neighborhoods or at local participating businesses to help neighbors in need.
Franklin Downtown Partnership

The Food Elves is a charitable community service group made up of more than 60 students ranging from elementary through high school. For the past two years they have joined forces with the Franklin Downtown Partnership to operate the “12 Days of Donating” campaign with great success. This year the Elves aim to beat last year’s record-breaking collection drive by raising more than $5,700 and 4,200 pounds of goods.

“The people who live and work in Franklin have been so generous that our ’12 Days of Donating’ campaign helped the Food Pantry give out about 17,000 meals to families last winter,” says Cameron Piana, Food Elves co-founder. “This town’s support has been awesome and we hope we can do more this year.”

According to the Food Pantry, about 600 households are registered to use Pantry services. This year’s need will be even greater due to a decrease in SNAP benefits in November. Health and hygiene items are not covered by those benefits and are a particular need.

“The Food Elves truly bring out the magic of the holidays,” says Erin Lynch, Food Pantry director of development. “These amazing kids organize and implement one of the biggest drives of the entire year for the pantry. Their ’12 Days of Donating’ campaign provides thousands of pounds of food for those who need it. At the same time it fuels this community with what we all need: inspiration, hope and a shining example of the impact young people can make when they work together.”

In early December, Food Elves will notify their neighbors about the collection campaign, including what items can be collected and the collection dates. Residents simply place bags of goods at their mailboxes on the designated pickup day and the Elves will do the rest. Collection dates will be Saturday, December 7, Sunday, December 8, or Saturday, December 14.

Franklin Food Pantry

In case there’s no Elf in your neighborhood, it is still easy to donate. The Elves have placed bright red collection bins at participating Downtown Partnership member businesses. If the Elves meet their goal of collecting more than 1,200 pounds of goods, each business has pledged to donate $200. There will be a donation bin at the Holiday Stroll tree lighting ceremony at Dean College on Thursday, December 5, or you can drop off donations at the Food Pantry, 43 West Central St., and designate them for the “12 Days of Donating” drive.

Bins can be found at these participating locations:

  • DCU, 500 West Central St.
  • Dean Bank, 21 Main St.
  • Dean College, Campus Center
  • Emma’s Quilt Cupboard, 12 Main St.
  • Franklin Downtown Partnership Office, 9 East Central St.
  • Jane’s Frames, 11 East Central St.
  • Murphy Business, 15 East Central St.
  • Pour Richard’s Wine and Spirits, 14 Grove St.


“It’s a busy time of year and we’re working with the food elves to make donating easy and convenient,” says Nicole Fortier, Partnership president. “When you’re out shopping or running errands, please stop by one of our local businesses and drop off some goods. The Partnership is happy to support these students who are doing important work and helping our community.”

The Franklin Food Elves may be your neighbors:
Colin and CJ Berg; Gabbie Blood; Malik, Hatim, Suhail and Nasir Brahimi; Julia and Katie Buccella; Cara and Chris Callahan; Sarah Carroll; Austin and Carter Castillo; Avery and Erin Chalk; Allie Champlin; Gillian Cristiano; Karen Cunningham; Jacob and Julia Dextradeur; Ryan Dombroski; Brendan Donaghey; Jamie Dragsbaek; Adam Duval; Kaleigh, Abby, Megan and Maddie Egan; Griffin and John Fenton; Haley Frank; Megan Georges; Alexa Katsaros; Maddie Lacman; Nicolette McCarthy; Kyle Neenan; Connor O’Brian; Cameron Piana; Dylan, Kaitlyn, Lindsey and Sydney Rappa; Ashley and Taylor Reutlinger; Sara Richardson; Aubree, Cassi and Corey Ronan; Abby, Chloe and Cooper Ross; Emily Shea; Jake Signo; Cam and Evan Strouse; Ellie and Katie Teixeira; Ben and Dan Weiss.


For more information about the Franklin Food Elves and the “12 Days of Donating” campaign, please contact the Franklin Downtown Partnership at (774)571-3109 or downtown.franklin@yahoo.com. For more information about the Franklin Food Pantry and what items are needed, go to their website, www.franklinfoodpantry.org/, or call (508) 528-3115.

http://www.franklindowntownpartnership.org/2013/11/2013-food-elves-press-release.html

Saturday, November 16, 2013

"they are able to make a difference"


The Franklin Food Elves will make their return in December for the "12 Days of Donating" campaign in support of the Franklin Food Pantry. 
The High School and Middle School student-run group, which has more than 60 members, will collect food donations through the first 12 days of December. 
Residents simply place bags of goods at their mailboxes on the designated pickup day for the students to gather. Collection dates will be Saturday, Dec. 7, Sunday, Dec. 8, and Saturday, Dec. 14.

Read more: http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/x825431789/Franklin-Food-Elves-return-this-holiday-season#ixzz2koMdF0Gz


Food Elves gathered at the Franklin Food Pantry in 2012

The Franklin Food Pantry can be found on the web at http://www.franklinfoodpantry.org/
and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/FranklinFoodPantry


Photo form the Franklin Downtown Partnership webpage here
http://www.franklindowntownpartnership.org/2013/10/fdp-food-elves-team-up-for-12-days-of.html