In the News: Empty Bowls dinner scheduled for May 2; Tornado hits Food Pantry in Franklin, Texas

From the Milford Daily News, articles of interest for Franklin:

Empty Bowls dinner scheduled for May 2

"To help the more than 1,100 individuals seeking food assistance from the Franklin Food Pantry, the organization is partnering with the Franklin High School Empty Bowls Club tor the 4th Annual Empty Bowls Dinner on May 2, from 6–8 p.m. at Franklin High School, 218 Oak St., Franklin. 

The dinner event, which features a simple meal of soup and bread served “soup-kitchen” style, will set the stage for community members to join in support of the Franklin Food Pantry. The open house format welcomes attendees any time between 6 and 8 p.m. 

The event serves as a reminder of the many “empty bowls” that exist in the lives of those who experience hunger. The awareness and fundraising event is family-friendly and caters to all ages. 

According to Amy Cataldo, the pantry’s interim executive director, “Many in our community are unaware of the level of hunger that exists in our own backyard. The number of families counting on the Pantry is the highest it’s been in four years. The need is very real. The Empty Bowls Dinner is an opportunity for our community to support our neighbors in need.”

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
https://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20190415/empty-bowls-dinner-to-benefit-franklin-food-pantry

Empty Bowls dinner scheduled for May 2

Tornado hits Franklin Food Pantry in Franklin, Texas

"One of the hardest hit buildings in the tornado that struck Franklin Saturday was the town's food pantry. 

"Right before it hit it was getting pretty stormy," says Jerry Redden was with a group from church inside the pantry when the tornado hit. 

"My wife Cheryl asked (a) preacher to pray for the safety." 

Many from the community showed up in hours after to help, including members from an Austin charity called 7 Slot Response."

https://www.kwtx.com/content/news/Franklin-Food-Pantry-recieves-help-in-the-clean-up--508571941.html

Franklin, TX is about 145 miles south of Dallas.

More about the tornado that hit Franklin on Saturday, April 13
https://dfw.cbslocal.com/2019/04/13/tornado-slams-central-texas-town-franklin-quite-injuries-reported/

Taste of ArtWeek Festival Announces Food Truck Line Up

Taste of ArtWeek, a kick-off celebration to Franklin ArtWeek, announced today that it will feature nine food trucks from Massachusetts and Rhode Island. 

Five savory trucks will include iGottaQ BBQ, Away Café offering Thai and American favorites, Moe's Street Eats featuring Italian cuisine, The Dogfather's gourmet hot dogs, and The Cod Squad's award-winning seafood from Captain Marden's. 

Four sweet trucks include The Whoo(pie) Wagon's multiple flavors of whoopie pies, Sarcastic Sweets offering cupcakes, brownies, cake pops and cookies, Shishkaberry's famous chocolate-dipped strawberries and frozen cheesecake, and Like No Udder's vegan ice cream. 

Taste of ArtWeek is intended to give attendees a "taste" of what ArtWeek is all about. Food truck tickets are $20 for four items for adults and $10 for two items for kids. Tickets can be purchased at www.randomsmile.org/festival.

Taste of ArtWeek is on Saturday, April 27 from 4:00 - 8:00 PM, and will also include free live performances, a craft fair, and a demo and hands-on tent on the Franklin Town Common, as well as a beer and wine garden and a fine art exhibition across the street at Hayward Manor.

Taste of ArtWeek is being organized by the Franklin Cultural Council, in partnership with Random Smile Project charity. Proceeds from the event will benefit both organizations.

The Cod Squad's award-winning seafood from Captain Marden's -
one of several food trucks to participate in Taste of ArtWeek

Bellingham Community Garden Shares Opportunity for Residents to Grow Their Own Food - limited spots available

The Bellingham Community Garden, which is a collaboration between the Town of Bellingham and the Hockomock Area YMCA, is now accepting registrations for plot rentals. This is a great opportunity to tend your own garden this May through October.

Located at 200 Center Street in Bellingham, the community garden provides 10’ x 20’ plots (roughly), water and some gardening tools, and will run workshops throughout the season. Service learning opportunities can also be arranged for those wishing to volunteer in a community setting. The mission of the Bellingham Community Garden is to promote healthy and active lifestyles by reconnecting individuals to the food they eat and grow.

Plot holders can look forward to a season filled with farm-to-table produce, meeting new neighbors and friends, and engaging in different opportunities for learning.

The plot rental program is open to all community members and offers a gated garden in which members, provided a lock code, will be able to garden from dawn to dusk. The Hockomock YMCA will also facilitate soil testing through UMass Amherst for plot holders interested in optimizing food production.

Interested applicants are asked to fill out a contract, available at www.hockymca.org/garden/, or email communitygarden@hockymca.org to request a contract. Cost for the season is $75 and checks can be made out to Hockomock Area YMCA.

You may also stop by the YMCA at 45 Forge Hill Road, Franklin for details and a contract or call 508-528-8708. Be sure to visit the Bellingham Community Garden on facebook: @bellinghamcommunityfarm.

Bellingham Community Garden Shares Opportunity for
Residents to Grow Their Own Food - limited spots available

About Hockomock Area YMCA: 

Where Cause Meets Community. At the Hockomock Area YMCA, strengthening community is our cause. The Hockomock Area YMCA is an organization of men, women, and children sharing a commitment to nurture the potential of kids, promote healthy living, and foster a sense of social responsibility.

Our YMCA is committed to partnering and collaborating with others to create and deliver lasting personal and social change in the 15 communities we are privileged to serve. The Hockomock Area YMCA is a not- for-profit charitable cause-driven organization with facilities in North Attleboro, Foxboro, Franklin, and Mansfield. For more information visit hockymca.org.

FHS baseball tops Mansfield 5-4 on Sunday

Via HockomockSports, we share the results of the FHS sports action on Sunday, Apr 14, 2019


"Baseball = Mansfield, 4 @ Franklin, 5 – Final
– Franklin junior Liam Dailey shined in relief, tossing four shutout innings to help the Panthers edge visiting Mansfield. The Hornets scored four runs over the first three innings but Dailey was nearly flawless in his four innings of work, allowing no hits, runs, or walks, striking out one with one hit batter. 

Mansfield went up 1-0 in the top of the second but Franklin responded with two runs in the bottom half. Dan Markowski knocked in Cooper Ross (2-for-3, run) to tie it, and Brennan Rivera plated JB Floris (2-for-2, RBI, run) to make it 2-1. Dan Saraceno blasted a two-run home run in the top of the third, highlighting a three-run inning for the Hornets. 

But once again, Franklin had an answer with three runs of its own. Jake Macchi plated two with a double to tie the game, and Floris brought Macchi home with a sacrifice fly for the winning-run."

The only result for the Hockomock League on Sunday
https://hockomocksports.com/sundays-schedule-scoreboard-04-14-19/

FHS Panthers

FPS SPRING ART HIGHLIGHTS (video)

Already missing great art at FPS after one day of vacation? We've got you covered! WATCH: "FPS SPRING ART HIGHLIGHTS"
https://twitter.com/FranklinPSart/status/1117535217722494979

27 Franklin residents scheduled to start the Boston Marathon

As the Boston Marathon gets underway on Monday, there are 27 Franklin residents scheduled to start this race. 16 men and 11 women with the following distribution by age group.

Age Group	M	W	T
20's	4	3	7
30's	3	3	6
40's	7	1	8
50's	2	3	5
60's	0	1	1
	16	11	27

27 Franklin residents scheduled to start the Boston Marathon - 2019

For more info about the runners and the race visit BAA.org/ or go directly to

https://www.baa.org/races/boston-marathon

27 Franklin residents scheduled to start the Boston Marathon

Disclosure: I am proud to be working for John Hancock, one of the major sponsors of the Boston Marathon.   https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephensherlock/

Video replay of April 9 School Committee meeting available

The School Committee meeting of April 9, 2019 is available for replay at your leisure. Thanks to Franklin TV for their work in recording and sharing.

http://view.earthchannel.com/PlayerController.aspx?PGD=franknma&eID=638

screen grab of broadcast while reporting remotely

My notes of the meeting and associated links to documents released for this session.
https://www.franklinmatters.org/2019/04/school-committee-recap-23m-in-school.html