Members of the community eat dinner and discuss community topics at the Franklin County Children’s Task Force free community dinner event on Wednesday, Oct. 16, at the Homestead Kitchen Bar in Farmington. Leo Goddard/Franklin Journal
FARMINGTON — Wednesday, Oct 16, the Homestead Kitchen Bar was buzzing as the Franklin County Children’s Task Force hosted their first free community dinner.
Social Services Director Rileigh Blanchet shared that the event was created to get the community together, have folks sit with people they’ve never met and discuss the strengths and weaknesses in the community. She reported that there was an amazing turnout and that some common topics for discussion included childcare and identifying common spaces.
Eight-year-old Leo Bowley and Manny Reis of Livermore Falls on the left, and Angela Samperi of Livermore Falls on the right, eat dinner and discuss community topics at the Franklin County Children’s Task Force free community dinner event on Wednesday, Oct. 16, at the Homestead Kitchen Bar in Farmington. Leo Goddard/Franklin Journal
Blanchet said that many of the kids expressed a want for a trampoline park. The closest park being 45 minutes away in Skowhegan, transportation is a large barrier for many parents in the community.
Community members Angela Samperi and Manny Reis of Livermore Falls both shared that the dinner was a great way to strengthen the community and spread resources.
A raffle was held, with three gift cards and three bags to win as prizes. This was the first time that the event was put on and Blanchet said that she hopes it will happen again.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Join the Conversation
We believe it’s important to offer commenting on certain stories as a benefit to our readers. At its best, our comments sections can be a productive platform for readers to engage with our journalism, offer thoughts on coverage and issues, and drive conversation in a respectful, solutions-based way. It’s a form of open discourse that can be useful to our community, public officials, journalists and others. Read more...
We do not enable comments on everything — exceptions include most crime stories, and coverage involving personal tragedy or sensitive issues that invite personal attacks instead of thoughtful discussion.
For those stories that we do enable discussion, our system may hold up comments pending the approval of a moderator for several reasons, including possible violation of our guidelines. As the Maine Trust’s digital team reviews these comments, we ask for patience.
Comments are managed by our staff during regular business hours Monday through Friday and limited hours on Saturday and Sunday. Comments held for moderation outside of those hours may take longer to approve.
By joining the conversation, you are agreeing to our commenting policy and terms of use. More information is found on our FAQs.
You can modify your screen name here.
Show less
Join the Conversation
Please sign into your Sun Journal account to participate in conversations below. If you do not have an account, you can register or subscribe. Questions? Please see our FAQs.