It feels like we are hitting our stride this week! The Emergency Shelter in Franklin is near capacity, the After-School Program has begun, and we’ve worked most of the kinks out of our process for assessing needs, collecting donations and distributing them.

The After-School Program is up and running. In its first offering, it served an estimated 30 children, elementary age and younger. The program was such a success that, in the future, we’ve been given permission to start a little earlier in order to reach out to the middle- and high-school students who arrive to the shelter about an hour before the elementary students. If you’d like to help with the After-school Program, please reach out to Rev. Kathy McAdams. We are hopeful that we will soon be able to offer the program over multiple days.

All donations have been consolidated at the Franklin United Methodist Church and teams of volunteers have done an excellent job of sorting (pics from our sorting days are below). Next week, we will be sorting on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday. In the weeks that follow we will have regular sorting on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Click here to learn more and signup for donation sorting.

The other amazing thing that happened this week was the receipt of several donations for the Franklin Interfaith Council’s Local Humanitarian Aid Fund, including a $1000 gift from a community member. In the near term, these funds will go to provide direct support and aid to the shelter. If you’d like to make a donation online, click here and designate the “Local Humanitarian Aid Fund.”

Below is the updated flyer. We are continuing to ask for baby wipes and laundry detergent. We are also asking for new (in the package) socks and underwear (all sizes). Please download and distribute the flyer as you see fit.

Thank for your donations! Thank you to everyone who has volunteered! Thank you all for your continued support.