Community Building

Hugh McCann’s photo of the Van Liew-Suydam House won the grand prize in the 2020 “Show Us Somerset County Through Your Camera Lens” contest sponsored by the Somerset County Board of County Commissioners. Three Franklin residents won prizes – including the grand prize – in the 2020 “Show Us Somerset County Through Your Camera Lens” contest sponsored by the Somerset …

Township police held another in their series of live streamed “Tuesday Night Talks” on January 19. Township police brass are shopping for the best deal in body-worn cameras, in anticipation of a state deadline mandating their use that’s just months away. Public Safety Director Quovella Spruill said during the FTPD’s “Tuesday Night Talk” live stream that she has been pricing …

A modified Tour de Franklin bike fundraiser for the Franklin Food Bank is set for April and May. The ride, now in its 32nd year, is usually held on one day in April. But due to concerns about large gatherings during teh pandemic, tour organizers have decided to extend the time riders can complete their routes from April 25 through …

Morgan Hewitt, as pictured in her GoFundMe account. An online fundraising account has been established for a former township resident suffering from leukemia. The campaign is targeted to raise money to help offset the costs faced by the family of 15-year-old Morgan Hewitt, who is suffering from T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Hewitt, the youngest of six siblings, attended grammar school …

SOMERVILLE – The Interfaith Hospitality Network of Somerset County will be known by a new name now that the year has turned: HOME of Somerset County, Inc., according to a press release from the organization. The new name reflects the nonprofit agency’s four core components: housing, outreach, multifaith, and empowerment, according to the release. “We are excited about beginning 2021 …

Mayor Phil Kramer receives the first of two Moderna COVID-19 vaccinations from Hackensack Meridian Health Raritan Bay Medical Center R.N. Catherine Urban. Mayor Phil Kramer is not a big fan of receiving inoculations … until now. The Mayor, himself a physician, said he was eagerly anticipating his chance to begin the vaccination process for COVID-19. So it came to pass …

More than 500 pieces of winter apparel will be donated to local children in need, thanks to a clothing drive sponsored by state Assemblyman Joe Danielsen. Danielsen (D-17) is working with the township-based Zakee Bowser Enrichment Foundation to distribute the clothing collected during his “Head to Toe” clothing drive. The Bowser Foundation is one of several charities with which Danielsen …

The Franklin Food Bank was one of several organizations recently benefiting from the generosity of Somerset County residents. The Food Bank was given a $1,558 grant through the Adopt-A-Family (AAF) program, which is sponsored by the Somerset County Board of Chosen Freeholders and participating local food banks. The $1,558 came from more than $54,000 raised by the program. Donors were …

Members of the Indo American Club, Canal Walk residents and The Sodhani Foundation with their Franklin Food Bank donation. Township residents are coming together during the holidays to help those in need. Starting with the Thanksgiving holiday, residents donated so that others could enjoy the season. The Somerset Run Men’s Club has so far raised more than $4,200 in a …

An annual toy drive held at the Ukrainian Center on Davidson Avenue will be contactless this year, in light of coronavirus concerns. The Unity Holiday All Stars event is set for noon to 2 p.m. Organizers of the drive, sponsored by the non-profit Unity SME, hope to duplicate their previous success. “We’ve received between 1,500 and 1,600 gifts in the …