"thinks the new plan will help with traffic concerns"

Daddario would also be required to make improvements to the Franklin Village Plaza traffic light, since that intersection would have increased use from drivers making U-turns to head toward downtown. 

After meeting with the state, which owns that stretch of West Central Street, Daddario learned that upgrades there would be more involved and expensive than originally thought. 

That expense, coupled with tenants' concerns about the restrictions, led Daddario to reconsider the project, he said. 

Town Engineer William Yadisernia said his major concern with the initial project was that it had two restaurants - both of which would have their busiest periods at the same time of day. 

"Even a full-service restaurant would be fine," Yadisernia said. 

Town Planner Beth Dahlstrom said the Planning Board expects to hold a public hearing on the revised plan at its July 11 meeting.

Read more: http://www.milforddailynews.com/archive/x1781764811/Taco-Bell-Wendys-plan-may-lose-a-restaurant#ixzz1PQmT9SwI

In the News - Strawberry Stroll, school survey

Franklin Strawberry Stroll tomorrow

by Staff reports

Franklin parents asked to complete school survey

by Staff reports

Yea, Bruins!

"It's for innovative teaching"

In other business, the School Committee postponed a discussion of privatizing the management portion of the food service program until its June 28 meeting to allow a subcommittee studying the issue to review one of the proposals, School Committee Chairman Jeffrey Roy said. 

The subcommittee had recommended that the committee authorize the administration to enter negotiations with Whitson's Culinary Group. Sodexo, Aramark and Chartwells also submitted proposals. Roy said he didn't know which proposal needed to be examined. 

The School Committee gave administrators authorization in April to seek proposals, hoping that a private company could better meet new federal nutrition requirements and have greater purchasing power than the current district-run food system.

Read more: http://www.milforddailynews.com/archive/x59982214/Franklin-teachers-get-funds-for-special-projects#ixzz1PKxbzBLL

In the News - MetroWest, teen, Arts Academy, summer programs

Health Foundation distributes grants to Franklin

by Staff reports

Franklin teen vies for honors in Alabama

by GateHouse Media, Inc.

Franklin High Arts Academy to showcase skills

by Brian Benson/Daily News staff

Franklin to hold summer program for children

by Staff reports

"enormous suffering on some of our nation’s most vulnerable"

From the Center for American Progress:

This week the House will debate a GOP proposal to cut $101 million from food assistance for low-income seniors and local food banks. The bill slashes $38 million (a 22 percent cut) from the Commodity Supplemental Food Program, or CSFP, which provides nutritious food packages to more than 600,000 low-income families every month (96 percent of whom are seniors). The bill also cuts $63 million from The Emergency Food Assistance Program, or TEFAP, which provides our nation’s emergency food bank network with food commodities and storage and distribution support. These cuts come at a time when food prices are rising and food banks are already struggling to serve their existing caseload. 

Conservatives claim these cuts on the backs of our nation’s most vulnerable families are necessary to bring our fiscal house in order. But here’s the rub: One day’s worth of Bush tax cuts for millionaires would more than offset these cuts to seniors and food banks. Here’s the math:

You can read the full posting on the Center for American Progress website
http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2011/06/millionairetaxcutsinfographic.html

Franklin Food Pantry says “Thanks to You”

Thanks to your generosity, the Franklin Food Pantry will be stocked to serve our neighbors this summer. The recent “Calling for the Pantry” phone-a-thon netted just over $11,000 and the “Stamp Out Hunger” food drive coordinated with the US Post Office generated just over 5,000 pounds of food and non-food items. “We are relieved to fill the empty shelves and know many of these donations will help us through the summer,” said Anne Marie Bellavance, Executive Director.

Volunteers for the Franklin Food Pantry reached out to talk with 2,400 households in Franklin, MA as part of the first annual phone fundraising effort. Bellavance said, “We were not sure what it (the phone-a-thon) would be like. The phone conversations the volunteers had were priceless. The feedback provided will help us.”

Dean College graciously provided use of their phone bank as their contribution to this event. More than 40 volunteers made the phone calls spread over several time periods from April 30 through May 3, 2011. The unpaid volunteers announced that this was the first annual phone call fundraising effort for the Food Pantry.

The Food Pantry will be able to provide more than 55,000 meals with the money raised. They are able to do this by leveraging resources with the Greater Boston Food Bank and providing fresh produce from Grateful Farm in Franklin. The fresh produce will be available during June through October for Franklin Food Pantry clients.

On Saturday, May 14, Franklin participated in the annual “Stamp Out Hunger” campaign, the largest food drive in the US. Jeanne Jackson, Franklin’s USPS Postmaster, was on site at the Food Pantry observing the parade of 20 postal vehicles. As the carriers worked their routes delivering mail to residences in Franklin, they picked up bags of food and non-food items that had been left for them at the mailboxes. The carriers stopped at the Food Pantry to drop off the bags before heading back to the Post Office.

Volunteers worked efficiently to unload the trucks as they arrived. Once unloaded, the bags were weighed, the items were checked for safety and quality, sorted into food and non-food categories and stocked onto the shelves. Only 10% of the items received were put aside due to safety and quality concerns. This is a marked improvement over 2010 when there was 28% waste from expired “use by” dates.

Thanks to

• Dean College for the use of the phone bank
• The residents for their contributions of food and money
• The volunteers for their time and effort
• The Post Office carriers for their time and effort

Thanks to you for helping put food on the table this summer for your Franklin neighbors!

-----

Stamp Out Hunger web site: http://www.helpstampouthunger.com/thankyou.aspx

Franklin Food Pantry web site http://franklinfoodpantry.org/