Grange Today! 11-28-2025

The Newsletter of the National Grange

Articles in this edition include:

  • National Grange President calls for action to strengthen rural America
  • National Grange holds elections
  • A Call to Act: President charts a future of connection, courage, and growth
  • “What does the Grange mean to you?”
  • Support the Grange Foundation through the Common Routes Challenge
  • As Temperatures Drop, Respiratory Risks Rise
  • View from the Hill
  • Free Webinar on Alcohol Use Disorder among Women in Rural America
  • We need Red, White, and YOU!
  • Keeping America Fed: Why Farm Labor Reform Can’t Wait
  • Grange honors and celebrates
  • Grange Foundation elects advisory board members
  • Juniors and Youth Learn at Sea
  • Recipes from the Heartland
  • Health Care Premium Tax Credits: What’s at stake for rural America?
  • 3 Ways You Can Help Tackle Hunger and Strengthen Communities This Holiday Season
  • Member Benefit: MemberDeals
  • Grange Store: Stocking Stuffers

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- Unwrap Real Deals, Not Scams

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

The holiday deals are already rolling in, but not every offer you see online is the real deal.

Fraud criminals often create websites that look professional and offer big discounts on popular items.  But after you pay for the item, the product you receive might be of poor quality, not what was advertised, or it never arrives at all.

Be cautious of any online offer that’s priced way below what other retailers are charging. The safest way to shop is by using trusted retailers’ apps or typing their website directly into your browser — not by clicking links from texts, emails, or ads.

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.

Happy Thanksgiving!

We would worry less if we praised more. Thanksgiving is the enemy of discontent and dissatisfaction.

Henry Allen Ironside

Best wishes for a happy and thankful Thanksgiving!

The Thanksgiving Reader is a fun activity about gratitude, family, and possibility. It was created several years ago by Seth Godin to”bring people together to not only celebrate the end of the harvest but to look one another in the eye and share something magical.” It’s absolutely free, simple and easy! Check it out!

MSG Office Building Sold

By Sherry Harriman, MSG Master/President

Our office building has been sold!

Our new mailing address and location are:

36 Anthony Ave., Suite 102
Augusta, ME 04330

We hope to be completely in our new office by December 13, 2025.

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

Our email address will change.   (To be finalized upon installation.)

Letters are going in the mail tomorrow to each Grange, Master, Officers, Deputies, Directors, and Committee folks.  You can share the exciting news and info with everyone!

Fraternally,
Sherry  

Directions to the new office:

  • From Rt 95, Exit 112B going north or 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 to the left.

Santa Is Coming to Vienna

No cost! Free to any and all. Our Juniors are going to help with crafts, the treats are all homemade, and it’s a really lovely, old-fashioned little party.

Words Matter!

Sierra Beal, third-grade teacher at St. George School, sent an email to Larry Bailey, Master of Ocean View Grange:

…My students have absolutely loved their dictionaries! We use them multiple times a week to help with their learning.  The generosity of you and the Grange makes a tremendous impact on the classroom and I am so thankful to be carrying on the Words for Thirds tradition... Thank you again!!

To which Larry replied:

I am so happy that you told me how the students are taking to the dictionaries. You have not only made my day but my year!!!  Thanks so much. I am looking forward to the next class and thanks to you I am sure as heck gonna be there…

Visit the Maine Grange Resource Page to learn how your Grange can sponsor a project!

National Grange Honors Night

Join us TONIGHT, Friday, November 21 at 8:30pm ET / 5:30pm PT as we celebrate the outstanding achievements, service, and leadership of Grange members from across the nation at National Grange Honors Night. This special program shines a light on the individuals and Granges whose dedication strengthens our communities and embodies what it means to be #GrangeStrong.

Tonight’s event will include:

  • Grange Hall of Fame induction
  • Celebration of Remembrance for the Grange leaders who have gone to the great Grange above
  • Departmental Awards for the 2024-2025 Grange Year

We hope that you and your Granges will tune in live on YouTube or Facebook to celebrate the accomplishments and honor those who helped us reach where we are today, as we look ahead to another incredible year for the Grange.

Please invite your members, friends, and community partners to join us online as we recognize excellence throughout the Grange. Let’s celebrate and honor together – no matter where you are!

Click to watch on YouTube on November 21, 8:30 pm ET

Click to watch on Facebook on November 21, 8:30 pm ET

Click for Program Book

Fraud Watch- Celebrity Imposter Scams

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

Social media can make it feel like we’re closer than ever to our favorite celebrities. But if a musician, actor, or athlete you admire suddenly sends you a private message, don’t get starstruck—get skeptical. It’s almost certainly a scam.

That personal attention isn’t coming from the celebrity. It’s from a criminal impersonating them or someone close to them. These scammers build trust through private messages, tailoring their approach based on your responses, sometimes turning it into a romance scam or a charity scam. The story may change, but the goal is always the same – to steal money and personal information. 

Advances in artificial intelligence (AI) are making these scams even harder to spot. Criminals can now mimic voices, alter photos and craft polished messages without the spelling or grammar mistakes that once were red flags. Some even create fake ads or livestreams featuring celebrities who appear to endorse products or causes.

Enjoy following celebrities online, just remember that engaging with their posts can make you more visible to scammers. If an unexpected message sparks high emotion (like excitement) and involves urgency, let that be your signal to disengage because it’s likely a scam.

Report fake celebrity accounts or impostors directly to the social media platform. If you’re the victim of a scam, report it to law enforcement and insist on a record in case of possible future restitution.  

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.

Fraud Watch- TikTok and Social Media Scams

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

According to the Federal Trade Commission, more money is reported stolen through fraud originating on social media than by any other method of contact. Reports to the AARP Fraud Watch Network Helpline show a rise in scams on TikTok. Many are recycled fraud tactics with a social media twist. Here are three ways to help protect yourself.

Check your privacy settings. Limit who can see your posts and which apps can access your information.

Be skeptical of direct messages. Scammers often pose as celebrities, influencers, or even friends to request money, solicit “donations,” or promote fake investments. Red flags should go up if a friendly conversation turns into mentorship or romance that offers “investment” advice involving cryptocurrency.

Shop carefully on social platforms. TikTok Shop, Facebook Marketplace, and similar sites can host scams where products are misrepresented, poor quality, or never delivered. Review seller ratings, be wary of prices that seem far below market value, and use a credit card for the best protection.

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.

From the Deacon’s Bench – Friends!

By Clay Collins, Guest Columnist
207 837-0564

“And He saith unto them, ‘Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith?’ Then He arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.” .   

  Matthew 9:26

Friends! Have you ever taken the time to determine just who your friends really are? Who are your rainy-day friends? Who are your casual friends? Who are your good friends? The ones who are there for you when you need them?

These are just a few questions to help you put your friends into the right perspective. Not all friends are alike! There are friends from work or school who are more casual acquaintances than friends. There are those friends who would drop everything and come running (literally) if you should need help of any kind. Then there are those friends who will stick by you when all of the other friends have long gone.

We must cherish all of our friends, as they each have a purpose in our lives. God would not have given us the friends that we have if there were not a purpose to it. It has been said that friends are like a fine wine; both add comfort to a significant situation. For if it weren’t for good friends, how would we be able to cope with our day-to-day lives?

Friends are a gift from God that we cannot overlook. I am thankful every day for all of my dear friends, for without them, I could not appreciate the true gifts from God. Thank you one and all for being my very dear friends.

Until the next time, remember, “Be well, do good work, and keep in touch”.

Benediction: Our Father, thank you for our friends for without them, life would not be worth living. Help us to realize that our friends are really a true and loving gift from You. We give our thanks in Thy holy name. Amen. 

Thought for the month:

“Life has many gifts – take time to unwrap them all!”

While Chaplain Christine is burdened with technology challenges, she has invited Past MSG Chaplain Clay to share some spiritual thoughts with our Grange Flock.