(l-r) Joel Katz, Derek Smith, and Maryann Morgan in the Magic 98.3 studio
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.
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
We have already had to say goodbye to many people in 2024 from the worlds of entertainment, sports, politics and beyond.
Among the untimely deaths in 2024 was actor Carl Weathers. The actor best known for playing Apollo Creed in the Rocky franchise died on February 1 at the age of 76. Weathers died in his sleep, but a cause of death wasn’t disclosed.
Weathers also notably starred alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger in 1987’s Predator. Schwarzenegger said in a statement via social media following his death, “Carl Weathers will always be a legend. An extraordinary athlete, a fantastic actor, and a great person. We couldn’t have made Predator without him. And we certainly wouldn’t have had such a wonderful time making it. Every minute with him – on set and off – was pure joy. He was the type of friend who pushes you to be your best just to keep up with him. I’ll miss him, and my thoughts are with his family.”
Sylvester Stallone released an emotional video statement honoring Weathers. Stallone said, in part, “Today is an incredibly sad day for me. I’m so torn up, I can’t even tell you. I’m just trying to hold it in because Carl Weathers was such an integral part of my life, my success — everything about it, I give him incredible credit and kudos. Because when he walked into that room and I saw him for the first time, I saw greatness. But I didn’t realize how great. I never could’ve accomplished what we did with ‘Rocky’ without him.”
Toby Keith is another major death in 2024. The country star died on February 1 at age 62 following a battle with stomach cancer. Countless artists from the country world shared tributes to Keith. Among them was Reba McEntire, who shared, “Toby and I are both from Oklahoma and very proud of our Oklahoma heritage. Toby worked very hard to make a mark in the country music business and did a great job doing that. I am very proud of him, and I hope he rests in peace. I was very honored to get to work with Toby and be a part of the era of country music he was in. We’ll sure miss him.”
An unlikely tribute to Keith came from someone who was an unlikely friend: Stephen Colbert. Colbert took a moment during The Late Show to honor his friend, whom he first met when he was the host of The Colbert Report. Colbert said, at the time, there was “a not-so-helpful legend that I had knives out for some of my guests, and it didn’t help that at the beginning, I sometimes did.”
Much to Colbert’s surprise, he and Keith hit it off. He noted, “That day, Toby taught me not to pre-judge my guests and to have my intentions but to keep my eyes open to the reality of who they are. For that lesson and a lot of other things, I am always gonna be grateful.”
Scroll through the gallery below to see the musicians, celebrities and other cultural figures we’ve lost, so far, in 2024.
Glynis Johns
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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.'
David Soul
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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."
Leon Wildes
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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
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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
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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."
Norman Jewison
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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
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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.
Melanie
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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.
Jesse Jane
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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.
Melinda Wilson
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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."
Carl Weathers
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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.'
Wayne Kramer
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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.
Toby Keith
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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)."
Aston Barrett
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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.
Joel Katz is the Morning Show Personality, Assistant Program Director, Podcast Host, Voiceover artist, audio producer, and Digital Content Writer for Magic 98.3. Joel has been working in New Jersey radio since college and started at Magic in 2002 as the Morning Show Host, “I can’t think of another place where I’d fit more perfectly; it’s just a great company with awesome people.” Joel is married to Kathleen, his elementary school sweetheart (they were each other’s first dates at age 9), shares a birthday with his oldest son, Ty, and has twins, Kiera and Liam. Joel runs at least 3.1 miles every day and enjoys playing basketball, doing laundry, saving his turn signal for when he really needs it, kissing dogs through a fence, using coasters, making that cool noise by rubbing his fingers on balloons, and chasing after ping pong balls on a windy cruise ship.
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