The Franklin Reporter & Advocate Eight Villages, One Community
Members of the Franklin Township PBA Local 154 threw their backs into some volunteer work Nov. 9.
The squad of township police officers packed, delivered and unpacked cartons of planned peaches and turkeys at the Franklin Food Bank on Millstone Road.
PBA 154 members have helped with carting turkeys around the food bank’s warehouse for a number of years, said food bank executive director Frank Hasner.
The food bank brings in about 1,000 turkeys each for Thanksgiving and Christmas, and they all have to be unpacked, Hasner said.
“When they come in, they come in in bulk and we have volunteers doing them,” he said. “Some are senior citizens who can’t necessarily lift a lot, so having the guys from the PBA helping us unload the turkeys is a real benefit, just from the operations standpoint.”
“Giving back to residents of Franklin Township has always been a top priority of our local, especially when we can assist with putting food on their tables,” said the PBA’s Det. Ken Daly. “We are always willing to step up and assist our community in any way that we can.”
Half of the PBA members stayed at the Food Bank warehouse unloading turkeys while the other half traveled to a North Brunswick site to pick up more than 850 cases of peaches, he said. The peaches were then unloaded in another Food Bank warehouse.
The township PBA has “a long history of helping the Food Bank with fundraisers over the years,” Daly said. The local participates in a charity softball game, sponsors the Tour de Franklin and co-hosts the annual “Hot Dog Sunday” fundraiser at the Corner Cafe and Grill.
“We’re all in it to try to help out our community” Hasner said. “The police help out our community, obviously we help out our community, and our organization is community based. We are a local food bank, 90 percent of the funds we use to operate the food bank are donated from individuals.”
He said the cost for the turkeys unloaded Nov. 9 was more than $3,000.
“Someone has to pay for them,” he said. “And we’ve done good, people have supported us. If everybody helps out, sends in $25, $50, we can help our neighbors.”
Hasner said the Food Bank has seen a “steadying” in the number of families it serves over the year.
“Hopefully that’s a good sign,” he said. He said he has a hunch that number reflects fewer families coming for packages, but coming more often than they used to.
To contribute to the Franklin Food Bank, click here.
Cover photo submitted by PBA Local 154.
