Clothing Giveaway at Saco Grange
Tag: Grange Advocacy
Grange Heirloom – August 2026
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.
Calling All Granges
From National Grange
Who understands rural health care challenges better than the people living them every day?
We’re inviting community Granges to join a new nationwide project putting rural women’s experiences at the center of health research.
We’re looking for Grange women 50+ who are connected in their community and eager to make a difference. As a Community Health Champion, you’ll get training and support to lead conversations with rural women and share what matters most locally.
The Grange and the Community Health Champion will each receive a stipend for their participation. This project is not a research study, and any comments or experiences shared will remain anonymous.
Tractor Safety Foundation’s Online Course
Available free for a limited time
Whether you’re new to operating tractors or looking to refresh your skills, the Tractor Safety Foundation’s course provides practical training to help you work safely and confidently. Participants will learn essential tractor operation, hazard recognition, equipment safety, and best practices to reduce the risk of accidents through engaging online learning.
The course is open to adults and youth, and partially fulfills the Department of Labor requirements for 14- and 15-year-olds operating farm equipment for hire on farms other than their own. We are currently planning for in-person drive training days for the Advanced portion of this course. This course is valued at $75, but is free to take for a limited time thanks to grant funding. To see more information and to register, visit the Tractor Safety Foundations course page.
Pesticide Disposal
Registration Opens for Free Pesticide Disposal Events Set for November
Pre-registration required by Monday, October 5, 2026
- Event Dates: One-day collections in November 2026 in Presque Isle, Bangor, Augusta, and Portland
- Registration Deadline: Monday, October 5, 2026 (pre-registration required; drop-ins not permitted)
- Who Can Participate: Maine resident homeowners and family-owned farms
- What’s Accepted: Obsolete or unwanted pesticides and spray adjuvants, including herbicides, insecticides, rodenticides, fungicides, and disinfectants
- How to Register: Visit www.thinkfirstspraylast.org to complete the inventory form and registration instructions
- Note: Registrations must be submitted by the person currently possessing the pesticides. Materials collected on behalf of others will not be accepted.
Madison Grange Food Distribution
The East Madison Food Project giveaway day will be Friday, July 31st, from 10 am-11:30 am at the East Madison Grange. 1 box per family. Come early as supplies are limited. Doors open at 10 am. All are welcome!
Free Eye Exams & Glasses for Veterans and Dependents
For more information or assistance with booking, individuals can reach out directly to the Maine Bureau of Veterans’ Services by calling (207) 287-7020 or emailing MaineBVS@maine.gov. Note: This is only by appointment, and you must preregister online.
You’ll Miss Us!
a “webatorial” by MSG Communications Director
Walter Boomsma
Seth Godin wrote an interesting post suggesting that when people move away, cards and cake should read, “You’ll miss us” instead of “We’ll miss you.” He points out that the community remains.
One of the more powerful sentences in the short post was, “When a marketer serves a community, they create the conditions where they’d be missed–because the ideas or products or services they bring are important, not simply tolerated.“
With apologies to Seth, I changed a word or two. “When a Grange serves a community, they create the conditions where they’d be missed–because the ideas or services they bring are important, not simply tolerated.“
My revision raises a question for Granges. Would your communities miss you if you were gone? Would they even notice? Are you important or simply tolerated?
One of the challenges we face as an organization is relevance in communities that are loosely defined and increasingly diverse. If our vision is narrow and our goals are limited, we will be missed by an ever-diminishing number of people. For example, not everyone likes potluck suppers.
Seth’s short message is that marketers should see a worthwhile goal of creating ideas, products, or services that the community would miss.
Maybe it’s time for Granges to figure out what they can create and offer that their communities would miss.
CWA Report – July 2026
By Margaret Henderson, Director
Committee on Women’s Activities
207 948-2762
WOW! How about this heat wave we have had for the last week? I hope that everyone has been able to stay cool.
Just some reminders about next month. Entries may be dropped off on Thursday, August 20th from 9 am-2 pm.
Judging will be on Friday, August 21, 2026, and the Conference will be on Saturday, August 22, 2026, at 9:30 am. All of these events will be held at Manchester Grange, 953 Western Avenue, Manchester, Maine.
If you are not able to get your entries there on Thursday, please call me so that we can make arrangements to meet so that your entries will be there for judging. If you have any questions, please feel free to call me. Thank you, everyone.
I look forward to seeing you next month. Please stay hydrated and try to stay cool.
Communications Column – July 2026
By Walter Boomsma
207 343-1842
Communications Director
Creating Flyers that Communicate
Microsoft users have probably heard that the desktop program Microsoft Publisher will no longer be supported after October 13, 2026. Actually, it would be more accurate to state clearly that it will no longer work. Any files created with the program will no longer open. This creates serious challenges for many.
National Grange addressed this to some extent in the July 10 issue of Grange Today! If you have been using Microsoft Publisher, you may want to read Phil Vonada’s article.
There’s a strong consensus that Canva is a good replacement, and the free version may suffice. I have also found that with some additional learning, other programs in Microsoft Office such as Word and PowerPoint can be adapted.
But this also raises the larger question of how volunteers can easily produce event flyers at no cost. I’ve not vetted all of the options that follow, but they do seem worthy of exploration. Bear in mind, free options have limitations. The goal of offering them is to encourage users to upgrade to a paid version.
- Canva: The free version is viable. I used it for a while, but found it necessary to upgrade. One downside is that its popularity means you’ll see similarities among flyers created by other organizations.
- Venngage: Looks similar to Canva, but you’re limited to working online. The upside is that online-based apps can offer more features.
- Flyerwiz is now Designwiz: Claims to offer the first mobile app for flyer creation.
- Pktochart: Claims to offer “drag and drop” editing.
- DesignCap: Emphasizes simplicity. Basic use doesn’t require creating an account.
Technology is advancing by leaps and bounds — it’s easy to get caught in the trap of trying to keep up. Years ago, it was estimated that most users used only about 20% of a program’s (now called an app, although there is a difference) capabilities. I would hazard a guess that number is even lower today. When “shopping” for an app, keep in mind that you may not need most of what’s offered, unless you’re going to become a digital creator.
A simple flyer containing all the relevant information beats a glitzy one that doesn’t. I’m always impressed by social media ads that omit the location of the store or restaurant.
For the non-digital crowd, one option is to find a digital creator to create a flyer in exchange for promotion. (A credit on the flyer with the creator’s contact information.) While it requires some advance event planning, another option is a contest for kids.
If you’ve found a good resource for creating flyers, let me know so we can share it with other Granges. We’re Grangers. We help each other!
For heavy users, the Microsoft Support Publisher Guide will help with preparing for its discontinuance.
FACT: During a recent seven-day period, the Manchester Grange News Post was the most viewed–over sixty times!