Membership Moments

Rick Grotton

By Rick Grotton,
Membership Committee Director
207 582-5915

With all the chaos in our country, the Grange needs to step up and help those in need. We need to work as one and become stronger. The Grange needs to keep its reputation as a safe place to go, with helping hands and friendly people.  Our communities need us more than ever, so we need to be ever so vigilant.  We need to let our communities know we are there for them. After all, isn’t that the Grange way?

Keep in contact with others, schedule events helpful to the people, such as a free clothing drive, craft fairs, dinners, lunches, card and game nights, and other social events. It only takes a smile to make someone’s day. Grangers are givers. Grangers are helpers. Grangers care.

To attract new members, we must always be on our “A” game. Be positive, smile, lend a helping hand, listen to others; their concerns and needs. Our communities need us more now than ever, so reach out! Remember why you joined the Grange and why you still belong.  Having been a Grange member for 40 years, I am truly grateful for all the Grange has provided me with: love, lasting friendships, and the opportunity to make a difference. As has been said, you get out of something what you put in and much more. Tell your story.

As the new year approaches, what changes need to be made? Will the Grange strive to work easier (not always harder) to gain membership, to be a factor in our communities, a name that all will trust, and most of all, visible to others? YOU can make it happen. YOU can be a factor. YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE!

Happy Holidays to all.

Community Service/FHH – December 2025

By Brenda Dyer, MSG Community Service/FHH Director
(207) 608-9193

Every Grange has started the Community Service Projects. Please keep an individual form for each project. I am waiting on National Grange as to whether book reports will be sent to National or if they will just be sent to the state report.

Family Health and Hearing

Plan or help with family things to do in the community

  • sponsor a blood drive, mittens, hats and scarves for community,
  • sponsor a workshop on hearing. Check with the community about free hearing tests.

Enjoy the rest of Autumn and the upcoming Winter. Merry Christmas and a Happy, Healthy 2026!

Grange Today! 12-12-2025

The Newsletter of the National Grange

Articles in this edition include:

  • A Year of Momentum: The National Grange’s 2025 Year-in-Review
  • “What does the Grange mean to you?”
  • Rural Life Initiative: A Year of Impact
  • Save the Date: Strategies to Strengthen Our Communities webinar series“
  • Support the Grange Foundation through the Common Routes Challenge
  • Grange Heirloom for December
  • Hamp Watch: Catching up with the National Grange President
  • Recipes from the Heartland
  • Watch Out for Fraud While Holiday Shopping
  • Member Benefit: Choice Hotels
  • Grange Store: #GrangeStrong Socks

Click the button below to read and/or subscribe to Grange Today!

Read THE Current Issue

Note that all recent issues are available on the National Grange Website. To save server space, we only post the table of contents on the MSG Website.

Fraud Watch- Preventing Holiday Package Thieves

MSG Communications Resources Logo
Reprinted with permission from AARP’s Fraud Watch Network.

With holiday shopping—and shipping—comes the risk of package theft. Thieves — often called “Porch Pirates” — steal millions of packages from American doorsteps each year, totaling billions of dollars in merchandise. You can help protect your deliveries with a few simple steps.

Opt into delivery alerts, allowing you to track your package and know exactly when items arrive. If you won’t be home, ask a trusted person to pick it up, or instruct the delivery person to place it out of sight.

Consider requesting a signature upon delivery to ensure your package is handed to someone directly. You can also use alternative pickup options, such as ship-to-store or secure locations offered by major retailers and delivery services.

If you’re going out of town, ask USPS, FedEx, or UPS to hold your mail and packages until you return. USPS can hold mail for up to 30 days, and FedEx and UPS offer similar vacation hold options.

Stay informed and work with your neighbors. Agree to watch out for each other’s deliveries and offer to take in mail when needed. Community resources like Nextdoor.com, Crime Stoppers, and social media updates from local law enforcement can also alert you to porch piracy in your area.

More Topic Resources

Report scams to local law enforcement. For help from AARP, call 1-877-908-3360 or visit the AARP Fraud Watch Network at aarp.org/fraudwatchnetwork.

AARP Fraud Watch Network

Need a scam prevention speaker for your group? Click the link to fill out the AARP online form or email me@aarp.org.

Mill Stream Serves Food Bank

“And you shall have some pie!”

Mill Stream Grange members (l-r) Jill Sampson, Rosie Baker, and Debbie Lavender presented the Grange’s annual Thanksgiving donation of cranberry sauce and makings for pumpkin pies to the Mt. Vernon area food bank on Saturday, November 15. 

Mill Stream Receives Diamond Grange Award

At the State Grange conference awards night on Friday, Oct. 17, 2025, Maine State Grange Master Sherri Harriman (r) presented   The National Grange “2025 Diamond Grange in Action”  award to Mill Stream Grange Master Jill Sampson, who accepted on behalf of Mill Stream, one of two Granges in Maine recognized for achieving the title.  

Fraud Watch- Common Holiday Scams

MSG Communications Resources Logo
Reprinted with permission from AARP’s Fraud Watch Network.

The holiday season usually means fun with friends and family, goodwill and giving. Unfortunately, it’s also a prime time for cybercriminals to perpetrate fraud. Here are some common holiday scams to look out for this holiday season:

Online shopping scams. Criminals create professional-looking websites and ads promoting popular items at steep discounts, but what you receive may be different than advertised—if you receive anything. Be cautious of unusually low prices and avoid clicking on ads in emails, texts, or social media. For safer shopping, go directly to a trusted retailer’s website or app and pay with a credit card for stronger protections.

Delivery scams. As holiday packages crisscross the country, scammers send out phishing emails and texts that appear to be from UPS, FedEx, or the U.S. Postal Service, notifying recipients about incoming or missed deliveries. Links lead to fake sign-in pages that request personal information, or to sites that may be infected with malware.

Gift card scams. Criminals steal gift cards in bulk from store racks, collect the information from the card, and return them to the  rack for unsuspecting buyers. When the gift card is bought, criminals immediately drain the money. It is safer to buy cards that are kept behind the counter, or directly from the retailer’s site.

More Topic Resources

Report scams to local law enforcement. For help from AARP, call 1-877-908-3360 or visit the AARP Fraud Watch Network at aarp.org/fraudwatchnetwork.

AARP Fraud Watch Network

Need a scam prevention speaker for your group? Click the link to fill out the AARP online form or email me@aarp.org.

Grange Heirloom — December 2025

Grange Heirlooms are snippets from the lessons of the Grange as taught in the Rituals and Declaration of Purposes.

Use the icons below to share this Grange Heirloom on social media and help others understand what the Grange stands for! If this heirloom has a particular meaning for you, click the “leave a comment” link at the left and share your comment with us!

For additional information and resources regarding the Heirloom Program, visit the Heirloom Resource Page on the Maine State Grange Website.

President’s Perspective – December 2025

Sherry Harriman,
Maine State Grange President/Master
207 490-1029

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Richard and I wish you all a very wonderful holiday season. 

Deputy School and instructions will be held in the spring, date and place to be determined.

We are very excited to announce this great news. Our office building at 146 State Street has been sold! We have moved to a new office and hope to be completely in our new space by December 13, 2025. Sharon, Henry, Richard, and I have worked many hours to get everything sorted, packed, and ready to go, especially Sharon & Henry. THANK YOU-THANK-YOU-THANK-YOU. Thanks Jimmy & Roberta who also came to give us a hand. We hired professional movers to get everything from one place to the other. They took two days to get the bulk of our items moved, placed and set up for us.  A few odds and ends are left to transfer.

Our new mailing address and location is: 36 Anthony Ave., Suite 102, Augusta, ME 04330

Our phone will remain the same: 207-623-3421 and the same toll free number 1-800-464-3421

Our email address will change.   (To be finalized upon installation on the 10th of Dec.)

    To get to the new office

    • From Rt 95, Exit 112B going north or Exit 112 going south. Stay to the right.
    • Follow Rt 27 North, toward Belgrade about ½ mile.
    • Take left at the light between Irving and Kentucky Fried Chicken. 
    • Take 1st left onto Anthony Ave  (go past Great Wall Buffet and past Fairfield Inn)
    • Number 36 is the third building on the right. It has a brick archway at the entrance with glass doors.  Suite 102 is straight back through the lobby to the left.

    Letters announcing the change were mailed to all Subordinate & Pomona Masters and Secretaries, Officers, Deputies, Department heads & Committees giving them the same information as listed above. The effective date of the change of address of December 1, 2025, has been provided to the Post Office.  All communications, quarterly reports, etc., are to be sent to the new address listed above. For those of you who drop things off directly at the office, there is a mail slot in the door of our Suite 102.    

    As a reminder, the password(s) and key will be mailed this month to the Secretary and the Master/President of each Grange after the Grange’s quarterly dues & report forms are submitted to the State Secretary. We must receive the report and monies before the passwords are sent to your Grange. Do we have your current and correct information for your Master/President and your Secretary at our office?  As an individual member, your 2026 dues must be paid before you may receive the password.

    Legion Scholarship Oratorical Program

    Reprinted with permission from an enewsletter published by Maine Senator Stacey Guerin.

    The American Legion Department of Maine’s High School Oratorical Scholarship Program will be held on Saturday, Feb. 14 at Thomas College in Waterville. Interested students can begin preparations now for the contest.

    The program’s purpose is to help high school students develop a deeper understanding and appreciation for the U.S. Constitution. Other objectives of the contest are the development of leadership qualities, the ability to think and speak clearly and intelligently, and preparation for the acceptance and discharge of civil duties as American citizens.

    The scholarship program, held by the American Legion for nearly 80 years, is for those students who look for an academic challenge and the opportunity to win scholarship money for their education careers. For more information about the February event, visit the Maine American Legion’s website.

    Volunteers are sought to assist with the program held in Waterville on February 14, 2026. Great opportunity for Granges!