FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 7, 2023
The Pantry is pleased to announce that it has been certified by Points of Light, the world’s largest organization dedicated to volunteer service, as a Service Enterprise! Achieving Service Enterprise certification is a prestigious accomplishment for an organization. In fact, organizations that certify join the top 11 percent of nonprofits nationwide in volunteer management and organizational performance. Certification signifies that organizations have the capability and management expertise to strategically use volunteers to improve the performance of their organization. The Pantry completed an extensive assessment, over 20 hours of training and coaching, and an extensive internal planning and change process to better integrate 6 volunteers into our human capital strategy. By achieving this level of excellence and certification, The Pantry is now better equipped to leverage the time and talent of volunteers and better meet our mission.
Tina Powderly, Executive Director of The Pantry, said: “The lifeblood of the Franklin Food Pantry is our volunteers. We might have 9 paid staff, but we are a team of well over 125. The SEI process was a recognition of, and investment in, this invaluable asset. The goal was to elevate our program into a sustainable and scalable model while raising awareness internally and externally of our volunteer impact. We have done all of that and more. The volunteer perspective is as important as food and client needs in all strategic decisions. Our volunteers have grown in size and responsibility, and we’ve identified deeper and unique skill sets to broaden their impact on our mission. We leveraged technology to weather the challenges of a pandemic and recession. The volunteer program is approached with intentional development and a holistic view of how it fits into our mission, resulting in high engagement, satisfaction and efficiency.”
Research conducted by the TCC Group, a national program and evaluation firm, found that organizations operating as Service Enterprises outperform peer organizations on all aspects of organizational effectiveness, and are more adaptable, sustainable and capable of scaling their work. The Service Enterprise program is a national change management program that helps organizations gain a greater return on volunteer investment to better achieve their mission. For more information regarding volunteer opportunities with our organization, please visit here.
About the Franklin Food Pantry, Inc. The Franklin Food Pantry, Inc. offers supplemental food assistance, household necessities, and resource referral programs to more than 1,300 individuals per year. The Pantry relies on donations and grants to purchase items and pay for daily operations, and partnerships with The Greater Boston Food Bank, Lovin’ Spoonfuls, and local grocery stores to achieve greater buying power and lower costs. Programs include In-person Shopping, Curbside Pick-up, Emergency Food Bags, Mobile Pantries, Home Delivery, Kids’ Snack Bags, Weekend Backpacks, Holiday Meal Kits, Community Gardens, and the Franklin Farmers Market. The Pantry is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization in good standing in Massachusetts, recognized by Charity Navigator as a Four-Star Charity, and awarded GuideStar’s Platinum Transparency ranking. The Pantry is located at 341 W. Central St. in Franklin, MA on Route 140. Please visit www.franklinfoodpantry.org for more information.
Media Contact:
Catherine Troutman
Communications Manager
508-528-3115
ctroutman@franklinfoodpantry.org
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