Patrons of Husbandry – a website dedicated to the Granges located in Maine
Valley Grange is proud to have handed out close to 250 dictionaries to third-graders this year. That puts us well over 4,000 since starting the program several decades ago. Enjoy some photos of this year’s program.
Dictionary Days are fun because learning is fun!
If your Grange is interested in starting a Words for Thirds Dictionary Program, complete the form below. No obligation!
by Walter Boomsma
The following article was written in the spring of 2009 as part of a National Grange Essay Contest… and it won second place! It seems even more true today than it did fifteen years ago.
One of my greater pleasures in life is attempting to explain the origins and purpose of this organization called “the Grange” to excited third graders as part of our “Words for Thirds” program. I start by attempting to determine what they already know and I’ll always remember the young girl who waved her hand enthusiastically and announced “I was born there.”
It took a little thinking to realize she’d heard me say “LaGrange” – one of the small, rural communities here in Maine. Her answer was certainly amusing, but it was also insightful and telling. Like the organization she was learning about she was proud of her roots and heritage. She announced her connection and kinship to LaGrange just as enthusiastically as I announce my connection to the Grange.
That sense of connection attracts people to rural, small-town America. But even small towns are experiencing a “social disconnect” as things like regional school systems and “social networking” using the Internet change the traditional model of community. We now have cell phones, PDAs and computers to stay “connected” with people – in many cases people we only rarely see and certainly can’t touch.
But beneath all the communicating, we still want to see people – to touch and be touched – and to feel a part of something. People will claim their families are going “in a million different directions” but not really consider why. Some of it has to be the search for connections and belonging. One reason every community needs a Grange is that folks are searching hard for a sense community and geographic boundaries no longer provide it. Being from “LaGrange” is not enough. Being from “the Grange” offers more.
The Grange, with its fundamental principles and practices, is one place the entire family can not only be together but also feel a connection to other like-minded people and families. The rich heritage of the Grange as an organization with shared values and missions is relevant today. One hundred years ago it was about farmers coming together and overcoming rural isolation. Today, it is about a larger and redefined community, but it is still about coming together and overcoming isolation.
In a 1986 study, psychologists McMillan and Chavis identified the four elements required for a “sense of community”: 1) membership, 2) influence, 3) fulfillment of needs, and 4) shared emotional connection. An in-depth study isn’t required to see how an active Grange contributes to those elements and builds a sense of community. From potluck suppers to community service projects, Grange members and friends feel a sense of kinship and demonstrate a cooperative spirit.
There are several important factors that distinguish the Grange from other civic and community organizations. The family orientation is one notable exception. Grange families find occasions when they don’t go in a million directions. Another is the diversity of programming and interests. The Grange offers social, political, economic, and educational benefits to all. You can’t be born there, but you can belong.
Again this year, Valley Grange is supporting Bangor Savings Bank’s annual Peanut Butter and Jelly Drive! During the month of September, we’ll be collecting and donating jars of peanut butter and jelly. All donations will be distributed to local food insecurity programs in our communities—from food pantries to backpack programs to local shelters, and more. The PB&J Drive is all about coming together to spread kindness and make a difference in our communities.
Since 2012, the Bangor Savings Bank Peanut Butter & Jelly Drive has collected more than 120,000 jars and donated them to local food insecurity programs. That’s over 100,000 children, families, and individuals impacted by your donations! In over 12 years, BSB employees, customers, and communities helped provide the equivalent of nearly 2 million peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for those experiencing food insecurity.
Donating a jar can make a big difference to a neighbor in need. Peanut butter, a protein-rich food item, is too often in short supply and in high demand at local food insecurity programs. By donating jars, you’re helping to provide a simple yet impactful meal option for those in need. And with school back in session, let’s support our local schools and backpack programs by donating a jar of peanut butter or jelly to the PB&J Drive!
Jars can be brought to our Valley Grange meeting on Friday, September 20th, dropped off at the hall anytime (there’s a tote on the porch), or given to any member.1 If it’s more convenient, just drop them off at any branch. (Tell ’em Valley Grange sent you!) If you have any questions or need some help, contact Community Service Chair Mary Annis or Program Director Walter Boomsma. You can also visit the Valley Grange Website or Facebook Page. Spread the word! (Pun intended.)
By the way, this is a “two-fer” opportunity! For each donation received, Bangor Savings Bank will donate one additional jar of peanut butter or jelly to local food insecurity programs!
The Maine Housing Authority (MaineHousing) announced earlier this month that the Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) has opened for applications for the 2025 program year. MaineHousing anticipates the program’s funding to remain the same as last year at just over $41 million.
During the last heating season, the program provided fuel assistance benefits to approximately 51,000 households, which was 22% above projections. MaineHousing said the program should serve a similar amount of households this year; and if demand is higher, a waitlist similar to the process implemented this past spring will be used.
Maine’s HEAP program, also referred to as the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), is a grant funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and is administered by MaineHousing in collaboration with Maine’s community action agencies and ProsperityME. The grant provides funding for fuel assistance benefits and other critical programs such as the Emergency Crisis Intervention Program for households about to run out of fuel, the Central Heating Improvement Program that repairs or replaces faulty furnaces, and the Weatherization Program to improve home efficiency.
During the past several years, MaineHousing and its partners have made changes to the program to reduce barriers for applicants. A new software platform is being implemented that will further streamline the application process and improve the online application function. The benefit determination method has also been redesigned to ensure that a larger benefit is allocated to households that need it most – those with the lowest income and the greatest energy burden.
With its limited funding, the HEAP program is not an emergency heating assistance program but rather a supplement that is usually provided to a household’s fuel vendor for use at some point during the year. Most applicants are required to have a meeting with a community action agency or partner as part of the application process, and it’s important to note that these meetings are often scheduled several weeks out from the time of application.
To find a nearby community action agency, visit MaineHousing’s website.
One of the software providers for our website recently blogged some ideas for community events that will draw people in.
What are you going to do this summer? Don’t forget to submit your events to the MSG website calendar!
In a recent post, Seth Godin reminded us that some restaurants keep a photo of the local food critic in the kitchen. That way, if someone notices that person in the restaurant, everybody bends over backward to make things right.
But why not try to get things right even if the critic isn’t there?
What if we conducted every meeting as if there were a dozen potential new members sitting in the back? Or do we ask the gatekeeper to warn everyone, “We have guests!”
For that matter, there’s a place in the opening for honoring “special guests.” Traditionally, that means someone from “higher up” in the Grange. Maybe the steward should at least announce ALL guests, regardless of their status.
Quick tips from Granges and Grangers are always welcome… on any topic that might improve or make things easier for other Granges. Use the submission form or email yours to the webmaster for consideration!
What’s the difference between a Subordinate Grange and a Community Grange? Hopefully, there is none! Every Grange should be a Community Grange!
Of course, that assumes the Grange is involved in and relevant to the community.
For a discussion of the term “Subordinate Grange,” see the March Exploring Traditions Column.
Quick tips from Granges and Grangers are always welcome… on any topic that might improve or make things easier for other Granges. Use the submission form or email yours to the webmaster for consideration!
If you are wondering what to do with your eclipse glasses, we are collecting them for Astronomers Without Borders! Come drop off glasses any time, putting them in our mail slot if you have a couple, or leaving them outside in a bag. We will also have a collection box very soon. You can also drop them off Sunday, the 21st, at our 150th Celebration, 1-4!
Haraseeket Grange #9 is located at 13 Elm Street in Freeport Maine.
And if you do not live near us, check the Astronomers without Borders website for locations.
Granges currently collecting glasses:
This is not a fundraiser—it’s a fun raiser! The purpose is to celebrate our communities and way of life. We’ll also honor some special community citizens—the Piscataquis County 911 Dispatchers! Here are some ways you can help support this fundraiser.
In a recent blog post, Seth Godin noted that ideas that spread win and because of technology and the changes in media, ideas that spread “horizontally” spread the fastest and farthest. Yelling from the rooftops doesn’t work so well. Telling a neighbor or friend does.
As we reported last month, millions of Americans will have an opportunity to see a total solar eclipse when the Moon’s shadow will sweep across the nation on April 8. The last time the U.S. saw a total solar eclipse was in 2017. However, this time the path of the eclipse will travel right through the heart of Maine.
Towns from Jackman and Greenville to Millinocket and Houlton are preparing for heavy traffic and thousands of tourists who will travel north to see the first total solar eclipse in Maine since July 1963. This year’s eclipse, or “path of totality,” will begin its North American journey in Mazatlan, Mexico, at 9:51 a.m. MST.
The first Maine town to see the partial eclipse will be Jackman beginning at 2:18 p.m. EDT. It will leave the U.S. through Houlton at 4:41 p.m. EDT. The total eclipse begins roughly 70 minutes after the onset of the partial eclipse.
According to recent news reports, some of those towns are depending upon eclipse tourists to salvage what has otherwise been a dismal snowmobiling season. The expected event turnout has even led to changes in school schedules, as some districts will release students early to allow them to watch it and address traffic safety concerns.
Schools in towns like Houlton and Jackman will be closed entirely. Both are directly centered in this year’s path.
Aside from its path, the major difference this year compared with the eclipse in 2017 is the size of the path of totality and the duration of the eclipse itself. According to NASA, this year’s path will be much larger than in 2017, ranging 108 to 122 miles wide since the Moon is closer to Earth.
That means the duration will be longer at about 4.5 minutes at its peak. When the total eclipse rolls through Houlton, it should last 3 minutes, 21 seconds. Totality lasted only 60 seconds in 1963.
For more information about this year’s total solar eclipse, visit NASA’s website.
Do NOT look at the sun/eclipse without protective eyewear! Please remind children – several times – of this!