Patrons of Husbandry – a website dedicated to the Granges located in Maine
-> Do your Holiday Shopping at a Grange Holiday Craft Fair. Here’s a list of the ones we’ve heard about!
If your Grange is distributing dictionaries to schools or may be interested in doing so, please see this post and fill out the form!
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 in another in the eye and share something magical.” It’s absolutely free, simple and easy! Check it out!
Because so many Granges support food banks, this should be of interest!
With the holidays upon us, many food pantries across the state are gearing up to meet the demand of families that need food assistance. Those needs have become more pronounced the past few years as many families continue to grapple with higher food costs that began a dramatic upward climb in 2021.
According to data from the Good Shepherd Food Bank of Maine, the nonprofit and its 600 food assistance partners delivered 39 million meals to Mainers in hunger last year. That’s the highest number in the organization’s history and well ahead of their goal of 33 million meals by 2025 that was established in their 2015 Strategic Plan. It shows demand is not slowing down anytime soon.
And unfortunately, supply has not kept pace. Food banks across the country are also reporting shortages as higher grocery costs contributing to that demand may also mean less donations from families that may have donated in the past but are now struggling themselves. Additionally, inflation also limits the impact cash donations have in covering food that is more expensive to buy.
Maine’s institutions of higher education are also providing resources for students facing food insecurity. A joint study published by the University of Maine and Husson University in 2021 estimated that 42% of college students were worried about having enough money for food. The study, Food Insecurity in Maine Higher Education, also found that 35% of students surveyed across 24 campuses in Maine ended up skipping meals and 13% went without eating for one or two days.
In April of last year, Husson began a food and hygiene pantry to serve such students in need. In doing so, Husson joined other campuses like Southern Maine Community College and the University of Maine’s flagship and Farmington campuses, all of which have had food pantries for years.
As we approach the holidays, Maine’s food banks will be grateful for any donations to help those most in need. To assist a food pantry near you, the state’s Department of Agriculture’s Resource Development Division has a map that lists all of the state’s food assistance programs under the federal Emergency Food Assistance Program. Good Shepherd also provides a list of its 600 food assistance partners here.
by Walter Boomsma, MSG Communications Director
Special Note: I’ve not fully researched or vetted this program, but since the opportunity to learn more is coming up fast, I thought it would be worth sharing. I believe a few Granges in Maine have a Zoom account (as do I). I don’t think that’s a requirement to attend this. It’s interesting they have a Grant Assistance Team! WB
Rural communities are often underserved and unable to access technology for critical services and information. Meanwhile, organizations struggle when trying to expand their reach and capacity into these rural areas.
Join Zoom’s Grant Assistance Team to discuss the upcoming USDA Distance Learning and Telemedicine Grant, arguably one of the most impactful and long-standing grant offerings. This program provides the capital needed to develop, implement, expand, and upgrade distance learning or telemedicine capabilities, bringing content and services to rural communities.
If you would like to learn how your organization can take advantage of this opportunity for up to $1M in grant funding, please register and join the discussion.
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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.
Guaranteed Grange Fun! Santa is bringing Mrs. Claus this year!
January 10-12, 2025, in Danvers, MA
by Paula Roberts, LCN
reprinted with permission
Willow Grange #366 of Jefferson presented the Jefferson Historical Society with a Spirit of America Award on Thursday, Sept. 12.
The historical society has spent years archiving early photos of Jefferson, gathering history, and preserving early artifacts of the town. One of the group’s more recent projects was gathering pictures of older families in Jefferson.
Members have printed a couple of histories of Jefferson and annually make a calendar with historic photos. They also hold open houses each year to display Jefferson’s historic artifacts.
There were 34 members of the historical society present at the ceremony, including 16 who are also Grange members. President Marilyn Speckman accepted the award on behalf of the Jefferson Historical Society from Willow Grange Master Sharon Morton.
The evening’s program was on the history of the Grange, including its set of five stage curtains. The curtains were a gift in 1906 from Grange member Charles M. Davis. The curtains were made by the renowned L.L. Graham, of Brooklyn, N.Y. The grand drape is a scene of Venice, and the other four curtains include a street scene, a kitchen, a parlor, and a nature scene. The stage also has reversible ears for the wings.
The curtains were restored in 2012.
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!
Rebekah Hodgkins from Jonesboro Grange attended the National Grange Convention this year and is now a Seventh Degree Member. She also reports that she won Third Place in the Fair Category of the National Grange Photo Contest, and Kennedy won First and Third Place in the Pet Category.
“The folks I connected with were wonderful humans… it was so nice to be with other Grangers and I felt ‘at home.'”
Rebeka