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About Us

About Us

The mission of the Franklin Food Bank is to support the food needs of our local community in an atmosphere of dignity and respect.

Meet Our Team
Meet Our Board

Our Story

1975

Humble Beginnings

Franklin Food Bank was founded in the basement of a local church, born from the compassion of neighbors helping neighbors.

1982

Official Nonprofit Status

We became an incorporated 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, formalizing our commitment to fighting hunger in Franklin Township.

1982–2019

The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP)

For decades, we operated as an emergency food pantry, providing essential support to families in crisis through TEFAP and other resources.

2019

A New Era: Client Choice & a New Home

We launched the Client Choice program, empowering clients to select the foods that best meet their needs. We also opened the doors to our new, expanded facility—designed with dignity and service in mind.

2020–2021

Responding to the Pandemic

As the COVID-19 pandemic unfolded, we rapidly expanded services to meet a surge in demand, creating new ways to safely distribute food and support our community.

March 2022

Client Choice 2.0

We reimagined our choice pantry to more closely resemble a grocery store, adding multilingual signage and creating a more welcoming, dignified experience for everyone we serve.

June 2022

Expanding Our Reach

We introduced new programs:

  1. Community Distribution, bringing food directly to neighborhoods across Franklin Township
  2. Beyond Borders, supporting newly arrived families and multilingual communities with culturally appropriate foods
  3. Nutrition Education, providing hands on cooking demonstrations and nutrition discussions in partnership with SNAP-ed

2023

It Takes More Than Food

In 2023, the Franklin Food Bank completed its transformation into a comprehensive wraparound resource center. Moving beyond emergency food, we launched a holistic service model designed to address the interconnected roots of poverty—health, finance, and social stability.

Present Day

A National Leader in Hunger Relief

The mid-2020s marked a turning point as the Franklin Food Bank’s unique culture and service model gained national acclaim. Our localized success became a blueprint for dignity-centered relief, garnering unprecedented support and validation from the country’s leading minds, such as Dr. Katie S. Martin (pictured) and other prestigious philanthropic and policy organizations.

National Recognition

Since 2022 the Franklin Food Bank has won over 20 awards:

  • MacKenzie Scott’s Yield Giving: Selected from thousands of organizations for a transformative million dollar gift, validating our efficiency and community impact.
  • Congressional Hunger Center Recognition: Honored for our leadership in hunger-relief advocacy and our commitment to developing the next generation of food security leaders.

 

Leaders at the organization sit on coalitions at the municipal, county, regional, stat and national levels, each tackling a different aspect of food security work.

Meet Our Team

Franklin Food Bank is powered by a small but dedicated team; each individual brings a deep commitment to our mission and values. We believe that our staff should reflect the mosaic of the community we serve, and we are intentional in building a team that brings cultural awareness, lived experience, compassion, and joy to every aspect of our work. What unites us is our shared passion for helping people, and it shows in everything we do. 

Christine Bacchus

Warehouse Assistant

Nicole Greco Castillo

Grants Writer

Madelyn Castro

Client Service Administrator

Derek Colon

Client Services Coordinator

Shanthi Prabhakaran

Office Manager

Marvin Easter

Director of Operations

Daryl Gardner

Warehouse Director

Bill Grippo

Community Engagement Officer

Allie O'Brien

Development Director

Rich Poremba

Warehouse Assistant

Michael Rodriguez

Client Service Administrator

Cassie Smith

Volunteer Coordinator

Derek Smith

Executive Director

Trevor Morris

Driver

Jennifer Wagner

External Affairs Manager

Keli Watkins

Program Director

Ryan Weiss

Warehouse Assistant

Meet Our Board

Our board is made up of dedicated volunteers who bring heart, humor, and a whole lot of brainpower to the table. They come from all walks of life but share one common goal: strengthening our community. With guidance, passion, and a fierce commitment to our mission, our board helps keep us grounded, focused, and always moving forward.

Trustees

Sonja Asante

Secretary

Claribel Cortes

Vaseem Firdaus

Lorna Flynn

Vice President

John Galat

Barry Gilmore

President

Curt Lang

Treasurer

Sami Shaban

Derek Smith

Executive Director

Tristan Wallack

Recognition

At the Franklin Food Bank, we don’t do what we do for the trophies—but we’re certainly proud of the validation. Since 2022, our innovative approach to hunger and dignity has earned over 20 awards, ranging from local community honors to prestigious National and Global recognition.

While these accolades are a testament to our industry-leading market model and wraparound services, they truly belong to the volunteers, donors, and neighbors who make our work possible.