"just $31.50 a week, $4.50 a day, or $1.50 a meal"

Secretary John Polanowicz kicked off the SNAP Challenge this week with a shopping trip at Save-A-Lot in Springfield to highlight the importance of this benefit as a front line defense against hunger. The Secretary is joining his family, Congressman James McGovern, Department of Transitional Assistance Commissioner Stacey Monahan, Senator Jamie Eldridge and participants across the country in taking the challenge from June 13-19. Participants must live on a total food budget of $31.50 for the week, or the average, per-person federal SNAP benefit. 

“While living on a food stamp budget for just a week cannot come close to the struggles encountered by low income families week after week, and month after month, it does provide those who take the challenge with a new perspective and greater understanding,” said Secretary Polanowicz.

Read more about the SNAP Challenge here
http://hhs.blog.state.ma.us/blog/2013/06/hhs-secretary-polanowicz-and-commissioner-monahan-kick-off-the-snap-challenge-.html

The Franklin Food Pantry is able to help those in our community receiving SNAP by supplementing with other food and non-food items. Your contributions help make this happen.  Whether you contribute time (by volunteering), goods (food and non-food items) or money, it goes to help your neighbors.

a "powerful experience"

Friday was Flag Day and the battlefield cross to honor one of Franklin's fallen was unveiled at theYMCA.

Jesse "The Machine" Green carved the battlefield cross as a gift for Cabino-Cipriano and her family. 

Before Thursday, Green - the chainsaw sculptor from Medway who starred in the National Geographic series "American Chainsaw" - and Cabino-Cipriano had never met in person. 

When the moment came, they embraced one another for what seemed like minutes, Green giving Cabino-Cipriano a bear hug.

Read more: http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/x1615045815/Battlefield-cross-to-honor-fallen-Marine-from-Franklin#ixzz2WHQNMqT8


Related post:
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/06/special-flag-ceremony-jun-14-lance.html

Commuting on i495 was a mess on Friday

Two accidents, one during the morning commute and one during the evening commute left i495 something like a parking lot for hours. If you were caught in either or both sets of traffic, here are the stories on the accidents themselves.

Four-year-old girl killed in crash on I-495 in Bellingham

A 4-year-old girl was killed in a single-vehicle crash on I-495 northbound in Bellingham around 6:30 Friday morning, according to the state police.

One flown to hospital after crash on I-495 in Bellingham

State police officers called Life Flight to transport one person after a single-car crash on I-495 in Bellingham on Friday afternoon, a state police spokesperson said.

Farmers Market - noon to 6:00 PM

The farmers market will open today on the Town Common

Grateful Farm

What will future jobs look like?

In this TED Talk, Andrew McAfee talks about the jobs of the future and what it means for us.

Winston Churchill came to my home of MIT in 1949, and he said, "If we are to bring the broad masses of the people in every land to the table of abundance, it can only be by the tireless improvement of all of our means of technical production." 

Abraham Lincoln realized there was one other ingredient. He said, "I am a firm believer in the people. If given the truth, they can be depended upon to meet any national crisis. The great point is to give them the plain facts." 

So the optimistic note, great point that I want to leave you with is that the plain facts of the machine age are becoming clear, and I have every confidence that we're going to use them to chart a good course into the challenging, abundant economy that we're creating.

Franklin Downtown Partnership’s annual Strawberry Stroll

"I am pleasantly surprised," said organizer Nicole Fortier of the large turnout. "It just goes to show you that the strawberry shortcakes really draw people in." 

Along with the partnership’s other seasonal events, the stroll shines a light on the downtown. Local businesses had tables set up throughout the plaza for people to stop by and find out what they’re all about. 

"It’s really a great community event," Fortier said.

Read more: http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/x871004483/Rain-cold-dont-dampen-spirits-at-Franklins-Strawberry-Stroll#ixzz2WBKx14MT

Franklin School Calendar Survey

A message from FRANKLIN PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT

June 12, 2013 Dear Parents/Guardians/Faculty: As the administration and School Committee collaborate to develop a school calendar, we need to balance the needs of students, parents and school professional. Additionally, we need to be mindful of federal, state and religious holidays and the contractual obligations necessitated in our bargaining agreements. With the addition of the challenges presented by inclement weather (snow, hurricanes that result in widespread power outages and tree damage) scheduling school days may present calendar challenges. In an effort to seek feedback from our stakeholders we would like to collect data to inform the development of future school calendars. The last time we solicited feedback was in 2007 and we felt this might be an opportunity to seek your opinions. We are asking you to complete this brief survey and when the results are complete we will report them out at a School Committee meeting and on our web site. We will seek data from parents/guardians and from our faculty as well. Thank you for taking the time to participate and we value your feedback. To access the survey, follow this link:  http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/752GSL5 This survey will be open from June 12 through June 26, 2013. Respectfully, Maureen Sabolinski Superintendent of Schools This e-mail has been sent to you by FRANKLIN PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT. To maximize their communication with you, you may be receiving this e-mail in addition to a phone call with the same message. If you wish to discontinue this service, please inform FRANKLIN PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT IN PERSON, by US MAIL, or by TELEPHONE at (508) 613-1777.