Rockland Trust Provides Use of 3,600 Square-Foot Building to Franklin Food Pantry

Rockland Trust, one of the largest commercial banks headquartered in Massachusetts, recently acquired Benjamin Franklin, an 11-branch bank headquartered in Franklin. Once Rockland Trust learned that the Franklin Food Pantry needed a new home, it immediately offered assistance.

"Rockland Trust has a long history of supporting non-profit organizations in the communities in which we operate," said Rockland Trust President and CEO Christopher Oddleifson. "The Franklin Food Pantry is a vital resource to the community, and we are pleased to help the pantry secure a new location where it can continue to serve residents that are in need."

The Franklin Food Pantry has been a valuable resource to the Franklin community for the past 19 years and currently serves nearly 2,200 clients from at least 15 area communities. The pantry provides between 2,600 to 3,200 pounds of food a week and has recently seen a 15 percent increase in need.

"We feel very fortunate to receive this generous donation from Rockland Trust," said Linda Pouliot Whites, executive director of the Franklin Food Pantry. "This building will ensure that we can continue to serve the people of the Franklin area. Local residents need our help now more than ever, and we are relieved and excited to have found a new location to call home. The building is fantastic and will offer private meeting space for the support services we offer, as well as plenty of storage for the food and clothing that we provide to clients."

On May 11, Rockland Trust also kicked off a canned food drive in each of its new branches to benefit the Franklin Food Pantry and eight food banks in the surrounding area. The food drive will run through June 30, 2009, and all members of Franklin and surrounding communities are encouraged to participate.

About Rockland Trust

Rockland Trust Company is a full-service community bank headquartered in Massachusetts, with approximately $4.6 billion in assets. The sole bank subsidiary of Independent Bank Corp. (Nasdaq: INDB), Rockland Trust provides a wide range of consumer, business, investment, and insurance products and services. Rockland Trust's network consists of 71 retail branches, 12 commercial lending centers, and three mortgage banking centers in Eastern Massachusetts; and four Investment Management Group offices in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. To find out why Rockland Trust is the bank "Where Each Relationship Matters(R)", please visit www.RocklandTrust.com.

SOURCE: Rockland Trust

Rockland Trust 
Joan Reid, 781-982-6537 
Public Relations Manager 
Joan.Reid@RocklandTrust.com