Franklin churches, Second Harvest partner in food program

From staff reports

St. John’s Episcopal Church and Grace Lutheran Church in Franklin have partnered with Second Harvest Food Bank and Central Elementary School of Franklin School District to give bags of food to students under the poverty line to be eaten over the weekend.

The program started Jan. 16 and will continue through the current school term.

The two churches have taken on 50 students who have exhibited the need for nutritious food through their family or household income status.

The Rev. Elizabeth Yale, priest in charge at St. John’s, said she hopes the program will be able to accommodate more students during the next school term and that fundraisers will be held this summer to expand the program.

The food is delivered by pallet from Second Harvest Food Bank in Erie to St. John’s Episcopal Church, where it is stored and bagged for each week.

“Fifty bags per week is not a lot to pack, so we are doing monthly packing sessions where we pack 200 bags all at once,” Yale said.

The bags are delivered to Central Elementary School on a weekly basis. C.P. Mooney, physical education teacher and member of the school district’s Wellness Committee, is the Central Elementary School coordinator with the BackPack Program.

Anyone interested in helping to pack the bags may go to the St. John’s church at noon on Sunday, March 15; Friday, April 10; and Sunday, May 17.

“We know noon is an hour many of us stop to eat, but it is also a good time to stop to remember those who do not have enough to eat and go hungry,” Yale said.