The Franklin Gateway community takes care of its neighbors! During this time, we were especially concerned that our families have the resources they need, and we sought out a way to bring food resources to Franklin Gateway. We’ve been blessed to forge a new partnership between Food Security for America and our Franklin Road Community Association (FRCA) to provide two weeks’ worth of groceries to families every other week. The mission of Food Security for America aligns with ours, and is rooted in community ownership – local residents power the program by volunteering to unload, sort, and distribute the food safely at each biweekly drive thru event. Our FRCA is made of true community champions who brought this new program to life. They have been committed to making sure Franklin Gateway families are fed during this challenging time, and have troubleshot and overcome hurdles to make it happen!
It’s been amazing to see the outpouring of resources Food Security for America brings to our community during each biweekly event. Each family receives an abundance of food, with overflowing baskets and boxes of meat, fruit, veggies, milk, dry goods, feminine products, and so much more! And our FRCA volunteers quickly get to work sorting and sharing it. They’ve weathered downpours, but always found a way to make sure families received food. We began this new program in our YELLS parking lot through socially-distanced drive-thru events, but have more recently connected the team to our partners down the street at Christ Harvesters Global Outreach Church, who host our YELLS Mentoring Program. This new location ensures Franklin Gateway community members can still benefit, but offers a new, indoor location large enough to allow social distancing while protecting from the rain. Families have already received more than 12,168 pounds of food and are so appreciative for this extra support. Thankfully, we have a caring community that rallies together and supports each other through the obstacles we face!
