Patrons of Husbandry – a website dedicated to the Granges located in Maine
Saturday, May 14, 2022, 3:00 – 5:00 PM
Join Windham Blue Seal and November’s Harvest in this event to discuss raising chicks, how to raise chicks, and common problems. Choosing a breed, where to buy, and how many. Getting ready for your chicks: what supplies do you need to get started, shelter, nesting boxes, and more. White Rock Grange is located at 33 Wilson Road, Gorham ME. For more information, visit the White Rock Grange Facebook Page.
Food Safety Training for Volunteers:
Many organizations and community groups rely on volunteers like you for a variety of food events for fundraising, fellowship, food pantries, or other services to the community. But cooking for a crowd is tricky! How do you store all that food? When is the food completely cooked? How long can you leave food on the buffet table? Now there is a workshop on Safe Food Handling designed specifically for Volunteers.
This class meets the Good Shepherd Food Bank food safety training requirements.
Loyal website visitors and subscribers with a great memory will perhaps remember a post a while ago regarding Starling Hall located in Fayette, Maine. That post told the “wonderful story of a former Grange Hall because of a group of dedicated volunteers.” In summary, the hall was acquired by the town and a group of volunteers in 2015 formed “Friends of Starling Hall” (FOSH) as a 501(3)C. Their efforts are described as “uniting history and purpose–restoring a treasured former Grange hall for use as a community center.”Since then, much progress has been made toward restoring the hall to its former glory.
You can read about some of the improvements and ongoing work on the Starling Grange Hall Website. These have not been easy tasks! A 2021 news article in the Kennebec Journal details much of the history and costs to date.
In order to keep the project moving forward, FOSH is currently seeking federal funding to supplement their local fundraising efforts. Certainly, Grangers understand the importance of “uniting history and purpose” and appreciate the value of maintaining heritage and history. You will enjoy the video below!
By Margaret Henderson, Director
Committee on Women’s Activities
207 948-2762
Webmaster’s Note: Quilt Block Information can be found on the Program Books and Information Page in the National Grange Contest Section
Some folks may have heard Katherine Rhoda play at a few Grange events around Maine over the past few years. If not, here’s your chance!
On Saturday, April 23, 2022 at 10 AM, Katherine will offer a 50-minute online performance of Vintage Grange Songs as part of the New England Folk Festival, which is happening on Zoom. As the program notes say, “Founded shortly after the Civil War, the Grange has a rich heritage of songs celebrating agriculture and advocating for farming communities. Katherine Rhoda sings from vintage Grange songbooks.”
Info about the festival is at https://www.neffa.org. For those unfamiliar with Zoom technology, there is an orientation to using Zoom: https://www.neffa.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/How-to-Zoom-Be-Prepared-to-Fully-Enjoy-your-Event.pdf. The online festival is free, though donations are welcome, to be split among the performers and tech team.
Katherine plays “heartfelt music fostering authentic human connection.” Visit her webpage about Grange songs at https://katherinerhoda.com/offerings/vintage-grange-songs/
Regional Leadership Conferences are coming up soon… National Grange Convention registration will be opening soon… 2022 Communications applications are now open–any and all ages welcome!
A recent mailing from National Grange Lecturer Ann Bercher summarized the rules, clarified the deadline (June 30, 2022) and outlined submission guidelines. (A copy is available on the MSG Website.)
The Grange in Action Program invites Granges to submit a one-page summary of at least three events/activities no later than September 25, 2022, for recognition at the 2022 National Convention. (Rules and instructions are available on the MSG Website.)
Effective May 1, 2022, any Grange Supply Store “rush” orders that require expedited arrival (7 days or fewer from time of order) will have a $25.00 expedition fee added to the order and the shipping fee. This includes any seals, certificates, and membership recognition applications.
Grange Heirlooms are snippets from the lessons of the Grange as taught in the Ritual and Declaration of Purposes. Please share “success stories” about the use of the program with us, or if you come up with other innovative ways to incorporate the Program in your Granges. Information and materials are now available on the National Grange Website.
Want to see your new members recognized in Good Day Magazine? Anyone who has not been recognized as a new member in the past year can be included. Use this link to share the news. The deadlines for each issue are:
156th National Grange Session is scheduled for November 15-19, 2022 in Sparks, NV
Well, if you’ll forgive a play on words, we mean that Mill Stream Grane was featured in the April-May Issue of the Vienna Record. The Record is published by the Town of Vienna and includes all sorts of town business such as selectmen and town department minutes and news of town events. Mill Stream Dictionary Day was the lead article and a second article listed upcoming Mill Stream Grange events.
Notice the mention of Grange Month and the Open House on Saturday, April 23, 2022. Bring your old flags! What a great example of community relevance and publicity!
Valley Grange of Guilford is sponsoring a blanket-making event on Saturday, May 14, 2022, from 9:00 a.m. until noon and volunteers are needed! Organizer Pat Engstrom notes “no sewing skills are needed. If you can measure, cut a straight line with scissors and tie a simple knot you can become a ‘blanketeer’ and help support Project Linus.”
Project Linus, a non-profit organization, provides homemade blankets to children who are seriously ill, traumatized, or otherwise in need. Similar events have resulted in dozens of blankets being made by a diverse group of volunteers. Engstrom hopes to see the number of blankets made increase.
“We have a great time doing this and truly just about anyone can help. We created quite a production line, and it sometimes gets competitive! It’s exciting to realize we’re providing love in the form of ‘blankies’ representing love, security, warmth, and comfort to kids.”
Light refreshments will be served.
The Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP), also known as Senior Brown Bags, Commodity Boxes, or Senior Boxes, is a federal program that works to improve the health of low-income elderly people at least 60 years of age by supplementing their diets with nutritious USDA foods.
The Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry (ACF) collaborates with organizations statewide to distribute units of food monthly to over 8,000 seniors across the state. Seniors in all Maine counties can access nutritious monthly food boxes by applying through their county’s supporting agency.
Each food box, valued at $50 and freely available to eligible seniors, contains a variety of canned fruits, vegetables, meat, fish, poultry, pasta, rice, peanut butter, juice, shelf-stable milk, cereals, and cheese. Participating seniors pick up their boxes at a designated time and place each month.
Seniors need only be aged 60 and older, live in Maine and meet income guidelines. To apply, view the list of supporting agencies and contact the one serving your county.
For more information about the program, visit the Maine ACF website.
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 responses link at the top right and share it!
Grange Heirlooms are snippets from the lessons of the Grange as taught in the Rituals and Declaration of Purposes.
For additional information and resources regarding the Heirloom Program, visit the Heirloom Resource Page on the Maine State Grange Website.