By Maddie Miga

In order to truly understand someone, you need to walk a mile in their shoes. On September 28th, the St. Vincent de Paul Society of St. Mary’s Church will be holding its 34th Friends of the Poor Walk as a way to spread this idea of empathy and kindness throughout the Franklin community. 

The St. Vincent de Paul Society (SVdP) has been around for hundreds of years. Chris Morris, the President of the Franklin SVdP team, explains that this community has centered itself around “servicing the needs of the poor and the needy in the community.” As a way to keep these beliefs alive, the Franklin SVdP often helps those in need by “giving out food and helping with financial assistance.” They also work closely with town, state, and federal agencies to make sure that those in need are getting as much support as possible.

Morris mentions that “most people look at Franklin and think of it as a fairly healthy and well-off town, but there’s a lot of people here that have needs.” Last year, the Franklin SVdP team helped over 2,600 families and donated over $64,000. These donations helped to provide food and financial assistance to struggling members of the community. The support that the organization received in 2023 allowed them to:

• Distribute 675 bags of donated food & 105 personal hygiene bags

• Give out 72 Complimentary SVDP Thrift Store vouchers worth $3,600

• Caring Tree 98 families / 224 people with Gifts cards of $9,500

• Provide Gifts for Mother’s Day (48), Father’s Day (13), and Veterans (6) of $2,600

The SVdP team also gave 200 referrals to town, state, and federal agencies. These members have assisted a variety of Franklin residents, such as single moms, seniors, neighbors, and those who are homeless. In the past year, the organization noticed that many individuals faced challenges due to increases in housing, utilities, food, and gas. 

To support the SVdP team’s goal of continuing to help Franklin’s neighbors in need, you can take part in or donate to its 34th Friends of the Poor Walk. The fundraiser will take place on September 28th at the Franklin Town Common. Participants can begin registering at 8:30 a.m., and a Blessing for the Walkers will take place at 9:00 a.m. The event is scheduled to last until 11 a.m., and members of the community are welcome to walk for as little or as long as they’d like. Last year, over 100 people came to participate in this fundraiser. Frequent participants include other groups within Franklin, such as many sports teams from nearby high schools.

 

The purpose of this tradition is to raise awareness of the struggles some residents face every day. The SVdP team begins planning for this fundraiser in May, where they “create a committee” of volunteers who help organize every detail of the event. Morris states that all of the hard work that goes into planning this fundraiser is always worth it come the day of the walk. He describes how “the running of the event is pretty fun. We [the volunteers] get there early, we set up all of the tables and tents, we put up the signs, and everybody’s really happy.”

While a lot goes into planning the Friends of the Poor Walk, the members of the SVdP team support the Franklin community in multiple other ways. Some examples of this include:

• Guiding them to other resources, both state and charitable

• Providing clothing and furniture through our SVdP Thrift Stores

• Supplying non-perishable food and paper products from our pantry to supplement other food resources

• Assisting financially during an unexpected crisis helping pay rent, utilities, medical, food and gas, car repairs, etc.

Participants will be able to sign up for the fundraiser on the day of the walk. If interested in donating to the St. Mary’s SVdP Society, you may visit their website: fopwalk.org. Those who wish to donate can also send a check to SVdP, 1 Church Square, Franklin, MA 02038.

Members of the community are also encouraged to call SVdP at (508) 918-2291 with any questions regarding the fundraiser. All donations remain in Franklin, and all information is kept confidential.