Pine Grove Manor School Principal Making a Difference in Central Jersey

It’s another Magic Monday with Franklin Food Bank. This month, we were joined in studio by someone who is a close friend of the Franklin Food Bank, the Principal of Pine Grove Manor Elementary School in Somerset, Genesi Miles.

Check out our conversation with Ms. Miles here…

Ms. Miles took over as Principal of Pine Grove Manor in 2022 and has been doing an amazing job in the district. Together the Franklin Food Bank and Pine Grove Manor have established a special relationship.

In FFB’s continued effort to break the stigma of needing help with groceries, they have been very creative about their programming.

Last year with Pine Grove Manor they ran a STEM kit and food package drive-thru distribution and giveaway along with a science experiment workshop and assembly that was very successful.

They’ve also given presentations about the food bank during assembly, participated in Read Across America, and parent engagement events have established a great partnership with Pine Grove Manor Elementary.

This week, in addition to joining us to promote their Community Distribution Program, they’re looking to spread the word about the New Jersey Summer EBT. It’s a child nutrition program intended to reduce hunger and food insecurity for children during the summer when school is not in session.

Recently, new legislation has allowed for funding to go to local families eligible for free and reduced lunch programming. The NJ Summer EBT toolkit for flyers, information, and more is at Hunger Free NJ. Families are eligible for $120 in EBT money to spend over the summer when children who participate in free and reduced lunch programs miss up to two meals per day at home while on break. Together they are committed to creating as much outreach and awareness as possible around this wonderful opportunity.

This year the Franklin Food Bank intends to continue deepening their relationships with local schools. There are ten elementary schools in Franklin Township alone and we are all looking forward to a great year.

The first Wednesday of every month, including May 1^st is the FFB’s community distribution. This month it takes place at the First Baptist Church of Lincoln Gardens at 771 Somerset Street in Somerset, New Jersey.

For those who have participated in the past, FFB is no longer holding their drive-thru at the Community Relations Bureau building. The demand has grown and it’s gotten too large creating traffic on Hamilton Avenue. There will be signs posted at the CRB with directions to First Baptist Church, which is right around the corner. It’s just a two-minute drive and a ten-minute walk from the old location.

Go to FranklinFoodBank.org to learn more.

As the weather steadily gets warmer, the lure of the outdoors is diminished by highly-anticipated new titles coming to streaming in May. Plus, those of us with allergies are still suffering, so staying indoors some days to indulge in awesome works in television and film sounds like a nice reprieve.

As always, Netflix has new content coming in the month of May. As they recently revealed via a trailer, Will Forte will star in a new thriller series called Bodkin, out on May 9th. The series follows a ragtag crew of podcasters who set out to investigate mysterious disappearances from decades earlier in a charming Irish town with dark, dreadful secrets. Also, for drama lovers, season 3: part 1 of Bridgerton drops on May 16th.

Roasts are back, and on May 5th, Tom Brady is going to be roasted in a live event on the streamer. When Jeff Ross says they're coming for the "pretty boy," Brady confidently replies, "I'm unroastable. Let's go!"

Over on Hulu, season 5 of The Kardashians will premiere on May 23rd. Meanwhile, on Max (formerly HBO Max), the award-winning comedy series Hacks returns for season 3 on May 3rd after a two-year hiatus. Then, on Amazon Prime, Josh Brolin returns for season 2 of Outer Range, a sci-fi show that takes place at the edge of Wyoming’s wilderness.

A new sci-fi/thriller series is premiering over on AppleTV+ in Dark Matter, based on the blockbuster book by acclaimed bestselling author Blake Crouch. The nine-episode series features an ensemble cast that includes Joel Edgerton, Jennifer Connelly, Alice Braga, Jimmi Simpson, Dayo Okeniyi, and Oakes Fegley. Dark Matter debuts on May 8th, with the first two episodes, followed by new episodes every Wednesday through June 26th.

For those looking for laughs, a new comedy set in the '60s includes an ensemble cast with Jerry Seinfeld, Hugh Grant, Melissa McCarthy, David Gaffigan, Amy Schumer, Bill Burr, James Marsden, Christian Slater, Dan Levy, Jack McBrayer, Fred Armisen, Cedric the Entertainer, Dean Norris, Mikey Day, and Peter Dinklage. Think all the aesthetics of Mad Men, but with cereal. The story follows the rivalry between cereal companies Kellogg's and Post, who race to create a pastry that will change the face of breakfast forever. The film debuts on Netflix on May 3rd.

Another all-star cast is in the rom-com Mother of the Bride. Starring Brooke Shields, Benjamin Bratt, Miranda Cosgrove, and Chad Michael Murray. The film follows Lana’s (Shields) daughter Emma (Cosgrove), who returns from abroad and drops a bombshell: she's getting married. In Thailand. In a month! Things only get worse when Lana learns that the man who captured Emma's heart is the son of the man (Bratt) who broke hers years ago.The film will be available for streaming on Netflix on May 9th.

Kicking things up a notch in the action genre, Jennifer Lopez has another new film titled Atlas. Starring alongside her is Simu Liu and Sterling K. Brown. Lopez starred in Netflix's action-thriller The Mother. Now, she’s launching into orbit, where she plays the titular character, a government analyst who’s hurled to a distant world on a quest to defeat her oldest enemy: the robot warrior who upended her life. Liu stars as Harlan, the first AI terrorist, while Brown stars as Colonel Banks is the commanding officer of the mission to planet GR39. The movie comes out on Netflix on May 24th.