Franklin Food Bank Receives $1,000,000 Grant

Author Joel Katz

April 3rd, 2024 6:06 AM

It’s our monthly first Monday in-studio and on-air visit from one of the amazing Franklin Food Bank staff members. This month, we were once again honored by the presence of their award-winning Executive Director Derek Smith. We thought it may have been their Operation Director this month since his name is Marvin Easter, maybe next year.

Franklin Food Bank’s Derek Smith In-Studio

They are very happy to share some wonderful news as the Franklin Food Bank is fresh off from winning a $1,000,000 grant from the Yield Giving Foundation, and partners at Lever For Change.

Yield Giving Foundation

The Yield Giving Foundation was “established by MacKenzie Scott to share a financial fortune created through the effort of countless people, Yield is named after a belief in adding value by giving up control.”

Mackenzie shared, “From a pool of over 7,000 applicants, each of these 361 community-led non-profits was elevated by peer organizations and a round-2 evaluation panel for their outstanding work advancing the voices and opportunities of individuals and families of meager or modest means, and groups who have met with discrimination and other systemic obstacles. Grateful to Lever for Change and everyone on the evaluation and implementation teams for their roles in creating this pathway to support for people working to improve access to foundational resources in their communities. They are vital agents of change.”

The Franklin Food Bank applied for this open call in June of 2023. There were three phases for awardee nonprofits to pass. Nearly 7,000 organizations applied for this funding and their mighty little food bank from the burbs of Central Jersey got the award.

They were not only in the top 6% of all the applicants, but they were also just one out of five selected in New Jersey. It’s a stunning achievement and we could not be more proud of them.

This couldn’t have come at a better time as the Franklin Food Bank needs a new building. They are bursting at their concrete seams, and are currently visioning and dreaming about the plans for a bigger and better home. This million-dollar gift is the beginning of this fund. It’s a fantastic start, but they’ll need to throw more millions onto the pile to finish it.

tour de Franklin Fundraiser

One way to help with that is their fundraiser, the tour de Franklin, which is off to a great start. This is their largest annual fundraising event of the year. This year they are expecting up to 800 riders which will take place on Sunday, April 28th at Franklin High School.

First Wednesday at Franklin Food Bank

The Franklin Food Bank has served Franklin Township since 1975, and they’re serving more than ever from within the township and beyond. They offer community food distribution on the first Wednesday of each month at the Franklin Police Department, no questions asked. If anyone needs more support, they’re welcome to shop at the organization’s market-style distribution at the food bank on Churchill Ave.

Consider the fact that many who benefit from the Franklin Food Bank are neighbors who are just like you who may have fallen on some hard times and need a little help to get back on track.

Celebrity Deaths 2024: Musicians, Entertainers & Cultural Figures We Lost

• Quincy Jones

  Share

  Legendary producer/composer Quincy Jones died on November 3 at age 91. Considered by many to be a musical genius, Jones' career is filled with credits ranging from film score work to producing some of the most iconic music of all time, including Michael Jackson's 'Thriller'.

• Maggie Smith

  Share

  Maggie Smith died on September 27 at age 89. The acclaimed British actress best known for her performances in 'Downton Abbey' and the 'Harry Potter' franchise.

• Donald Sutherland

  Share

  Legendary actor Donald Sutherland died on June 20 at age 88. His decades-long career was filled with numerous acclaimed credits including 'The Dirty Dozen,' 'M*A*S*H,' 'Klute,' 'Animal House,' 'Ordinary People,' 'Six Degrees of Separation,' and 'The Hunger Games' franchise.
• Carl Weathers

  Share

  Weathers died on February 1. He was 76. Weathers was best known for playing Apollo Creed in the 'Rocky' franchise. Other notable credits included 'Predator,' 'Happy Gilmore,' 'Arrested Development' and 'The Mandalorian.'

• Kris Kristofferson

  Share

  Kris Kristofferson died on September 28 at age 88. His legendary music career influenced generations of country music artists and other singer-songwriters. He also had a very successful acting career including 'A Star is Born' and the 'Blade' trilogy.

• John Amos

  Share

  John Amos died on August 21 at age 84. He was best known for his roles on 'Good Times,' 'Roots,' and 'The Mary Tyler Moore Show.'
• Liam Payne

  Share

  Liam Payne died on October 16 at age 31 after falling from a third-floor balcony at a hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Payne was best known for being a member of popular boy band One Direction.

• Glynis Johns

  Share

  Johns passed away on January 4. She was 100. The British actress's career spanned over 60 years. Johns won a Tony Award in 1973 for Best Actress in a Musical for her performance in 'A Little Night Music.' She famously played Winifred Banks in the classic 1964 film 'Mary Poppins.'

• Shannen Doherty

  Share

  Shannen Doherty died on July 13 at age 53 following a long battle with cancer. She was best known for her performance in 1988's 'Heathers,' 'Beverly Hills, 90210' and 'Charmed.'
• James Earl Jones

  Share

  James Earl Jones died on September 9 at age 93. Jones's remarkable career on stage, screen and television spanned eight decades. He received numerous honors, including two Primetime Emmy Awards, two Tony Awards, a Grammy Award, the National Medal of the Arts in 1992, the Kennedy Center Honors in 2002 and various lifetime achievement awards.

• Pete Rose

  Share

  Iconic baseball player and manager Pete Rose died on September 30 at age 83. While he still holds a number of Major League Baseball records, Rose was famously banned from being inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame due to him betting on baseball games while he was a manager for the Cincinnati Reds.

• Dr. Ruth Westheimer

  Share

  Dr. Ruth Westheimer died on July 12 at age 96. Westheimer was a renowned sex counselor/radio/talk show host.
• Richard Lewis

  Share

  Lewis died on February 27 at age 76 from a heart attack. He was an iconic stand-up and comedic actor best known for his role on HBO's 'Curb Your Enthusiasm.'

• Phil Donahue

  Share

  Groundbreaking talk show host Phil Donahue died on August 18 at age 88. Donahue was best known for his nationally syndicated talk show, aptly named The Phil Donahue Show, which was later renamed to Donahue. The talk shows ran from November 1967 to September 1996.

• Richard Simmons

  Share

  Richard Simmons died on July 13 at age 76. Simmons was a fitness icon known for his flamboyant energy, outfits, and incredible compassion.
• Toby Keith

  Share

  Keith died on February 5 following a battle with stomach cancer. He was 62. Keith's career spanned three decades and yielded many hits. Among them were "How Do You Like Me Now?!," "I Love This Bar," "Red Solo Cup" and "Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue (The Angry American)."

• Shelley Duvall

  Share

  Shelley Duvall died on July 11 at age 75. In addition to her performance in 'The Shining,' Duvall notably worked with director Robert Altman in seven different films: 1970's 'Brewster McCloud'; 1971's 'McCabe & Mrs. Miller'; 1974's 'Thieves Like Us'; 1975's 'Nashville'; 1976's 'Buffalo Bill and the Indians, or Sitting Bull's History Lesson'; 1977's '3 Women'; and 1980's 'Popeye'.

• Louis Gossett Jr.

  Share

  Gossett Jr. died on March 29 at age 87 from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The accomplished actor had countless credits. Gossett Jr. won an Emmy Award for his performance in the iconic TV miniseries 'Roots.' He also became the first Black man to win an Academy Award for best supporting actor for his performance in 1982's 'An Officer and a Gentleman.'
• Terri Garr

  Share

  Terri Garr died on October 29 at age 79 after battling multiple sclerosis for over 20 years. The Oscar-nominated actress best known for roles in 'Tootsie', 'Young Frankenstein', and 'Friends'.

• O.J. Simpson

  Share

  Simpson died on April 10 at age 76 following a battle with cancer. Despite his legendary football career, Simpson's legacy will be as the defendant in one of the most high-profile murder cases of all time.

• Phil Lesh

  Share

  Phil Lesh, bassist and founding member of the Grateful Dead, died on October 25 at age 84. A cause of death was not confirmed. However, Lesh was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2006. Shortly after announcing his diagnosis, Lesh had successful prostate surgery. In 2015, Lesh underwent surgery for bladder cancer, which was also successful.
• Dickey Betts

  Share

  Betts was the co-founder, guitarist, singer and songwriter for the Allman Brothers Band. He died on April 18 at ago 80 from cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

• Susan Buckner

  Share

  Susan Buckner was best known for playing Patty Simcox in the classic 1978 movie musical 'Grease.' She died on May 2 at age 72. A cause of death wasn't disclosed.

• Morgan Spurlock

  Share

  Documentarian Morgan Spurlock died on May 23 at age 53 from cancer. He's best known for his 2004 documentary 'Super Size Me.'
• David Soul

  Share

  Soul died on January 4. He was 80. He's best known for playing Detective Kenneth "Hutch" Hutchinson in the TV series 'Starsky & Hutch.' Soul also had a music career and had a number one hit song in 1977 with "Don't Give Up on Us."

• Jesse Jane

  Share

  Jane died on January 24 of a suspected drug overdose. She was 43. Born Cynthia Ann Howell, Jane was a popular adult film star. She retired from the industry in 2017 and briefly returned in 2019.

• Aston Barrett

  Share

  Barrett died on February 3 from heart failure. He was 77. Barrett was the bass player and musical director for the Wailers. He famously had the nickname "Family Man" due to fathering 41 children.
• Wayne Kramer

  Share

  Kramer died on February 2. He was 75. His cause of death was pancreatic cancer. The influential guitarist was a co-founder of the MC5 along with Fred "Sonic" Smith.

• Leon Wildes

  Share

  Wildes died on January 8. He was 90. Wildes was best known for representing John Lennon and Yoko Ono when they were facing potential deportation. He proved Lennon and Ono were being targeted by the Nixon administration due to their political leanings.

• Joyce Randolph

  Share

  Randolph died on January 13. She was 99. The actress was best known for playing Trixie Norton on classic 1950s sitcom 'The Honeymooners.' Randolph was the last surviving main cast member from the series.
• Mary Weiss

  Share

  Weiss (middle) died on January 19. She was 75. Weiss was the lead singer of the '60s girl group The Shangri-Las. The group topped the Billboard Hot 100 in 1964 with "Leader of the Pack."

• Shifty Shellshock

  Share

  Crazy Town frontman Shifty Shellshock died on June 24 at age 49 from an accidental overdose. Crazy Town was best known for their hit 2000 single "Butterfly."

• Norman Jewison

  Share

  Jewison died on January 20. He was 97. The acclaimed director helmed a number of beloved films, including 'In the Heat of the Night,' 'Fiddler on the Roof' and 'Moonstruck.' Jewison was nominated for Best Director by the Academy Award for each of those aforementioned films.
• Dexter Scott King

  Share

  King died on January 22. He was 62. His cause of death was due to prostate cancer. King was one of four children of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King. He was the longtime chairman of the King Center.

• Paul Di’Anno

  Share

  Paul Di'Anno was the original singer of Iron Maiden. He died on October 21 at age 66 following years of failing health.

• Melanie

  Share

  Melanie died on January 23. She was 76. The singer-songwriter famously performed at Woodstock in 1969. She is best known for the songs "Brand New Key" and "Lay Down (Candles in the Rain)," which was inspired by her experience at Woodstock.
• Melinda Wilson

  Share

  Wilson died on January 30. She was 77. Wilson was the wife/manager of music legend Brian Wilson. They were married in 1995. Brian Wilson said in a statement following her death, "Melinda was more than my wife. She was my savior. She gave me the emotional security I needed to have a career. She encouraged me to make the music that was closest to my heart. She was my anchor."

• Mike Pinder (R)

  Share

  Pinder was a co-founder and keyboardist for the Moody Blues. He died on April 24 at age 82 from complications from dementia. Pinder was the last surviving member of the original Moody Blues lineup.

• JD Souther

  Share

  JD Souther died on September 17 at age 78. He co-wrote songs for the Eagles and Linda Ronstadt. Souther has co-writing credits on Eagles classics like "Heartache Tonight," "Best of My Love," "New Kid in Town" and "Victim of Love." (Despite being asked to join the Eagles, Souther famously refused.) Souther made a number of contributions to Ronstadt's career, from co-producing her fourth album, 1973's Don't Cry Now, to writing songs for her, including "Faithless Love," "Prisoner in Disguise" and "White Rhythm and Blues." Souther and Ronstadt also many duets together, including the 'Urban Cowboy' soundtrack song "Hearts Against the Wind."
• Tito Jackson

  Share

  Tito Jackson died on September 15 at age 70. In the legendary Jackson family, Tito was the third child born to Joe and Katherin Jackson. He was famously a member of The Jackson 5 alongside his brothers Jackie, Jermaine, Marlon and Michael. The group signed with Motown Records in 1968. Over the course of five years, The Jackson 5 scored 17 top-40 hits, including four No. 1 hits: "I Want You Back," "ABC," "The Love You Save" and "I'll Be There."

• Steve Albini

  Share

  Albini died on May 7 from a heart attack. He was best known for his engineering work with a number of major rock artists including Nirvana ('In Utero'), Jimmy Page & Robert Plant ('Walking into Clarksdale'), and Pixies ('Surfer Rosa').

Sign Up For The Magic 98.3 Newsletter

Get the latest celebrity and music buzz, info on events you need to know about, plus exclusive contests, game and more!

Email *

Subscribe

By clicking "Subscribe" I agree to the website's terms of Service and Privacy Policy. I understand I can unsubscribe at any time.

Author Joel Katz

Category:

• Human Interest
• Joel Katz
• Joel Katz in the Morning
• Magic 98.3

Tags:

Food,Tour de Franklin