Margaret Franklin, left, looks on as Marvin Carter, right, shows new Friendship Trays volunteer Tom Franklin a picture of Franklin's that was published in 1947 in the Charlotte News.

Franklins' visit to Friendship Trays includes trip down Memory Lane

May 31, 2011

Margaret and Tom Franklin thought they'd see if they liked volunteering at Friendship Trays. So in they came the day after Memorial Day to piles of work – and a bit of nostalgia.

Photographer Tom worked many years for the Charlotte News, the city's afternoon daily newspaper that closed in the mid-1980s. Back in 1947, the paper published the story and photo, below, that described a "Reliable Service" babysitting and odd jobs service started by some youngsters in Plaza-Midwood. Shown in Franklin's group is a young Marvin Carter, who also volunteers at Friendship Trays.

The Franklins' connections to Distribution Street run deep. Their son Scott works at Parker Medical Associates, where owners Laura and Bruce Parker donate lease costs in the Distribution Street warehouse to Friendship Trays and the Community Culinary School of Charlotte.