Franklin Food Bank (FFB) Needs Volunteers a Few Hours a Week

We continued our first Monday tradition with the Franklin Food Bank joining me in the studio to discuss the latest goings on at FFB. This month, we met their newest team member, the incredible Keli Watkins, their Program Director, and Volunteer Coordinator, Casandra (Cassie) Smith. Cassie also happens to be the wife of FFB’s Executive Director Derek Smith.

We discussed The Franklin Food Bank’s Community Distribution this Wednesday, October 4^th at the First Baptist Church of Lincoln Gardens. The church is located at 771 Somerset Street, Somerset, NJ 08873 starting at 11 am.

We also discussed volunteering at FFB. They call their volunteers "the engine that can," a small group of core volunteers that help them run their amazing program.

The volunteers perform receptionist duties in both English and Spanish (and they need more bilingual volunteers), they stock the shelves of their free grocery store, they perform quality assurance for their items that come in through donations, they drive their vans to pick up food from local retailers and so much more.

They ask volunteers to commit to only one shift per week at FFB, and shifts are only three hours long. However, you can volunteer as many shifts or hours as you wish. About 70% of their staff started at the Franklin Food Bank as volunteers. Go to FranklinFoodBank.org for more information.

Check out our discussion here:

Unfortunately, FFB already serves an additional 12% more families than last year. However, the end of the year is always the busiest time, and they expect another 12% on top of that just based on regular growth. Additionally, due to all of the work they’ve done performing on the ground with outreach in the community through schools (they attended over a dozen back-to-school nights, parent engagement events and backpack distribution events) they expect at least another 5%, most likely more.

Families with children experience food insecurity at a much higher rate than families without children. They know that the end of this year will be historic (25% or more) in terms of the projected growth.

That’s where you come in. Again, volunteers are desperately needed right now. Not only is this one of their biggest needs but it's also one of their biggest incentives. Volunteering at the Franklin Food Bank is fun and a rewarding way to spend a few hours of your day.

They offer a workout, and a good feeling of hard and heart work with love, appreciation and recognition for efforts.

They also do lots of stretching during their daily huddle, led by their Program Director, Keli, who is a professional personal trainer.

To become a volunteer, simply visit them at FranklinFoodBank.org and apply. You will be promptly invited to one of their amazing orientations and then you can start your volunteer career at the Franklin Food Bank.

With the opening day of the 2024/2025 season in the rearview, fans have more than likely started munching on their favorite foods while watching a few (or all) of the games. All while dreaming that their team makes the potential Super Bowl trip.

As mentioned, part of the tradition for Sunday football is watch parties, tailgates, and snacking -- lots of it.

To celebrate the first few games of the season, VegasInsider analyzed, and researched the most popular snacks across the country,

The study was based on the search volume for each snack using the words "NFL". New Jersey returned results of a "mixed variety", and if you asked this observer, the snack that ranked #12 (last), should be categorized as some sort of heinous crime.

But see for yourself....

Starting off the list are Mozzarella Sticks, returning an average search volume of 620. Trust me, that count is pretty low, you'll see as we go further down the list. Were most of you upset like I was? Mozzarella sticks are a SOLID #5, and CERTAINLY better than the #9 spot, but we will get to that...

Probably one of the most versatile on the 12 on this list, you can put almost anything on a hot dog and it will taste good.  We don't even really know what it's made of, but we don't care! Grilled, fried, even MICROWAVED, it all tastes good! Unfortunately, it did not "cut the mustard", only returning a search volume of 1,010. 

Honestly surprising this ended up so high (or low) on the list. With an average of 3,161 pizza places in the state, NOT including chains, Pizza is a readily available option for New Jersey residents. Maybe that's the problem..it's readily available. Why go out of your way to get it every Sunday? Another versatile food option, it only returned an average search count of 1,020 -- just 10 more than the hot dog.  What's even more surprising is that pizza ranked LAST among footballs fans on average across the country. 

Returning an average search count of 1,040, this is controversial (at least for me). THIS should be the #12 spot. It's a movie food! When the game is on, my first instinct is not "Can't wait to chow down on some popcorn, and get kernels in my teeth". With that said, I still endure, and I still eat it when it's around. Butter, Caramel, Cheddar...it's all good. 

Now we start seeing pretty big jumps in the search count. This bar classic returned an average search count of 1,420. If you find an arrangement of sauces these make a delicious edition to any Football night snacks arrangement. 

Talk about versatility! How many brands, styles, and flavors of chips are there out in the world? How many brands, styles, and flavors of dip are out there? Are you a Doritos person, or a Lay's person? Are you the one guy who brought Fritos!? Do you like the punch of a spicy salsa? or the smooth flavor of ranch? Personally, grab a Jar of Tostino's Queso Blanco and I can dip a piece of cardboard in it. I think it's THAT good! Others agree chips and dip are a staple in the house, returning an average search count of 1,740.  

The cousin to the chip, the Pretzel returned with a score of 2,010. Whether you enjoy the hard, bite-sized pretzels from a bag, the big and soft salted pretzels, or even the sticks that are perfect for dipping. Pretzels start off the list of the top 6! 

The messiest option, but always savory, BBQ ribs jump FAR ahead of the #6 spot with 2,770 for an average search volume. Just make sure you have a napkin on standby... 

Another large jump in average search volume, Chicken Wings are another snack that provides a medley of options. Boneless, or bone-In? And if you like bone-in, do you like flats or sticks? 
Do you like Buffalo, BBQ, or Garlic Parmesan? In New Jersey, Chicken Wings had an average search volume of 3,420! 

Taking home the bronze medal, meatballs step away from the spaghetti dish and plant themselves in the third-place spot for your Sunday snack lineup! Meatballs returned and an average search volume of 5,450! What's great about the meatball (other than everything), is when you get tired of using a fork, just plop one of those bad boys on a sub roll and you have yourselves a sandwich! 

The runner-up goes to the reliable nacho! Now, I know what you might be thinking, and no, nachos do not count as "chips and dip".  The reason for that...presentation. Nachos are more than just chips and cheese, it's chips, cheese, salsa, sour cream, peppers, olives, and occasionally, pork, all blissfully blended in one. Nachos returned an average search volume of 13,130! 

New Jersey's top spot goes to Sliders! Sliders returned the largest average search volume with 17,050! Sliders have gotten more creative through the years. But I'm a big proponent of keeping it simple. A nice medium-rare with cheese, ketchup, and onions, and I'm set!
Overall, sliders were the most popular snack choice for the country!