Capital City Grange

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • YouTube
  • Grange Notes
  • Photo Gallery
  • Contact Us
  • Home
  • About Us
    • About Us
    • History of the Capital City Grange
    • Grange Officers & Committees
    • Contact Us
    • Grange Notes
  • Dancing
    • Contra Dancing
    • Afro-Caribbean Dance
  • Rentals
  • Support the Hall
    • DONATE
    • Friends of the Capital City Grange Hall
    • Hall Projects
    • Completed Projects
  • Community
  • Calendar

Saturday Grange meeting: VSG report, planning our next projects

November 2, 2024 by Tova

Grange Notes by Tim Swartz, Grange President (with everyone’s help) November 1, 2024

Grange meeting: 4:30 PM, this Saturday

Our November Grange meeting will feature a more thorough report on the State Grange meeting than the one below.  We’ll be going into more of the story of what it was like for a small corps of volunteers to host this gathering–and to feed them.  We’ll be discussing whether we want to do this again–and if we do, what should be done differently to make it less of a struggle, especially for the kitchen crew.
We’ll also be talking about plans for the upcoming meetings in the colder months, including a December 7th meeting with a Program, and a Holiday Sing-a-Long which is on the Calendar for Dec. 15th.
I will also report on some website management complications that have cropped up–I’m really hoping that they will be cleared up by Saturday.  We’re still looking for a member or Friend of the Grange who would like to be a webmaster for us!   Our online hosting and update service, WPEngine.com is a big help, but we should really have someone who has more than my amateur-level skills keeping an eye on that important aspect of our operation.
Our Grange meeting will be run with our simplified Grange ritual, and will be available via Zoom if you can’t make it in person.   The link is posted on the Grange Calendar posting for the meeting, as usual.

VT State Grange:  taking care of business

About 60 delegates came from all over Vermont–from Bomoseen, Boltonville, Barton, Bridgewater and many more, to meet for two days in our beautiful Grange Hall in Berlin.  Our Grange received many compliments on our Hall–and many more on the food dished out–I’ll include a separate article below about that project!
Since the State Grange meets in session only once a year, a lot of business gets transacted in a couple of days.  Every Grange can send 2 voting delegates, who can discuss and vote in a very clear and democratic way on all aspects of Grange governance.   Voting delegates get name-badges with pink ribbons attached, so it’s clear who can vote.   The issues discussed include reports of all the various committees of the VSG, plus the budget for the next year, and the “Resolutions” submitted by Granges over the past year.   On Saturday, we elected all of the officers for the next 2-year terms–just as our Community Grange did at our September meeting.  Officer elections are done by paper ballot; the rest are by delegates using the “voting sign of the Order”.
We also learned about the state of the Grange in Vermont.   We are down to 834 Community Grange members in the state, in 29 functioning Granges.  This is a number that has been dropping for many years; the only slightly positive news is that the net loss of 15 members is one of the lowest in recent years.   Capital City is one of just 3 Granges that reported an increase in members.   Of course, this is just an increase in the number of members willing to pay our annual $30 in dues, and includes quite a few who do nothing else.
The President of the National Grange, Christine Hamp attended our State Session, along with her husband Dwayne.  Chris Hamp spoke to us, pointedly urging us all to do our best to involve new members positively, especially being forgiven any mistakes in ritual and practices.  She is clearly aware of the need to get more people involved in the work of the Grange, knowing that national Grange numbers have been going down just as our State’s numbers have done.  It is encouraging to me to hear this discussion, since our Grange has consistently focused on what we do, especially with our Hall, not on the forms of Grange ritual.
The State Grange meeting, though, is where I and other delegates get exposed to the original forms of the ritual, since people who enjoy that aspect are the ones who persevere in “climbing the ladder” of the degrees of Grange membership.  If you like sashes, the golden sashes of the National President and the State officers who have attained the 7th Degree are dazzling, as are the pink sashes of the 6th Degree State members.
What we all share is a belief that people working together can create positive changes in the world, and in the value of meeting face-to-face and openly discussing mutual needs.  I hope that some of those reading this edition of “Grange Notes” will join us at our Capital City Grange meeting on Saturday, to have just that sort of meeting!  If we believe in working together, attending a meeting once a month is a way of putting that into practice.

Serving up local food

Our Meals Committee for this event decided early on that purchasing from local suppliers would be a priority.   Merry Shernock, Charles Mayhood and Alison Forrest, with some assistance from Richard DeCosta were determined to create a variety of dishes, including options for people who eat vegetarian, avoid gluten or avoid dairy.
Merry, who did a lot of the sourcing of local vendors, gave a brief introduction, which she recreated for our Grange Notes readers:

Walk Our Talk

Welcome! Capital City Grange is so happy to host this Annual Meeting of the Vermont State Grange. We hope that you will be comfortable here and we hope that you will enjoy the food we have planned and prepared for you.

The Grange is historically an agricultural organization and we think we should support our local farmers and food producers. So we have planned our meals, as much as possible around local food. Local food from small farmers and food producers costs more, so we have asked you to pay a little more. We think, however, this is the tax we pay to enjoy the lifestyle we have.

The BEEF we are serving tonight comes from Burelli Farms and the co-owner, Peter Burmeister is a friend who sold the Beef to us at cost. He delivered it here fresh this morning

The PORK comes from Union Brook Farm in Northfield and I picked it up myself. The two girls who own the farm (and anybody under 30 is a girl to me!) are delighted to sell their pork at cost to us for you to enjoy.

The BREAD comes from La Panciata, also located in Northfield. I’ve known the baker since he was a little boy. I know his dad who started the bakery. My daughter worked there when she was in high school and they baked bread for her wedding supper. They gave us such a deal! You know how it is with local food; it tastes better because you know the folks who made it.

Some special whole grain sour dough BREAD was donated by the co-owner of O-Bread, up in Burlington. The baker and co-owner has taught Afro-Caribbean Dance here for about 30 years and she brought some freshly-baked loaves yesterday.

The APPLES were donated by Chapin Orchard up in Chittenden County. (People applaud) You know them. Their apples will be homemade apple crisp tonight

The ICE CREAM that goes on top of the apple crisp was made by LegenDairy over in Williamstown. They also make the best maple creemees, (worth the trip!) and the guy who made it and donated it is coming tonight to serve it to you himself.

The CHEESE, of course, is from Cabot, and is also donated.

The VEGGIES come from two places. One is the Vermont Youth Conservation Corps. The kids at VYCC grow veggies for free for low income folks, and the VYCC donated all the ‘seconds’ to us. They also donated a LOT of kale! Please tell anyone you think might be eligible for free food about this program.

VEGGIES were also donated by Burnt Rock Farm up in Huntington VT. Burnt Rock was severely affected by the summer flooding, but shared their extra potatoes and onions and squash with us this weekend.

And finally the GREEN BEANS were grown, pre-processed, and donated by the President of Capital City Grange, who grew way more than we needed.

It was fun identifying and arranging this local food for you this summer. It would have been a helluva lot easier to get it from COSTCO, but I think Grangers should Walk Their Talk.

The pictures below show:  Local Veggies from VYCC, one of the 6 centerpieces set up by Alison, using her hand-woven fabrics (and some of the veggies), Merry serving up beef, Alison serving roasted vegetables, and Erin serving chickpea curry and rice.   The last picture shows State Grange members enjoying lunch on Saturday.  BTW, they are eating off placemats donated by the Wayside Restaurant!
NOTE:  at the request of the National Grange President, Merry sent a copy of WALK THE TALK to her, so we hope to see it featured in National Grange’s online newsletter!

Filed Under: Grange Notes

Give blood at the Grange–Friday!

November 2, 2024 by Tova

Grange Notes by Tim Swartz, Grange President (with everyone’s help) October 28, 2024

If the vampires don’t drain you on Halloween, the Red Cross wants your blood!

We’re sponsoring a series of Red Cross blood drive, as a community service, and this is the first one!
Please sign up on the RedCrossBlood.org website, if possible, or come by from 10:30 AM to 3:00 PM on Friday, Nov. 1.  They will be taking regular whole-blood donations, or “Power Red” donations of red blood cells only.   At this time, there are still quite a few times open, please sign up now!
As a regular donor myself (13 gallons and counting) I can vouch for the friendly, considerate people on the blood drive crews, and the almost painless nature of the procedure.
As I’m sure you’ve heard, there is a constant need for blood at hospitals locally, around the state and the nation.   This is a great way to really make a difference!

VT State Grange Annual State Session

Here’s a glimpse of a moment from the proceedings of the State Grange in the process of voting for officers.  I’ll write up a longer Grange Notes story about the meeting soon, but I can tell you that the many members from around the state really enjoyed meeting at our Grange Hall, and also enjoyed the food cooked by our small and hard-working crew of volunteers.
We’ll also be talking about the VSG State Session at our November Grange meeting, Saturday Nov. 2.   Please join us to discuss the successes, trials and tribulations of hosting this event, and to learn who was elected to offices, new initiatives, and how they could impact our Community Grange.

Filed Under: Grange Notes

Less than a week until State Session–volunteers and cookies still needed!

October 25, 2024 by Tova

Grange Notes by Tim Swartz, Grange President (with everyone’s help) October 20, 2024

Starting next Friday!

I’ll be putting up this sign soon, to make the delegates coming from around the state feel welcome.   Many are already familiar with our Hall, since we hosted State Session in October of 2020 as well.  In that year, it was an abbreviated version, as COVID was all too present.   At the time that meeting was held, we were just before the “Delta” variant; we maintained “social distance” (remember that?), wore masks and ventilated as best we could–and no one got sick.
This year, thanks to very widespread  vaccination and the attenuation of the virus, we are not too worried about contagion.   We’ll still be keeping the Hall ventilated, but we expect more VSG delegates–and we’ll be providing lunches and dinners for everyone who pre-orders them this time.  See below how you can help us tickle their tastebuds–and help us clean up afterwards.
Any Grange member can attend the meeting, but we get 2 Voting Delegates.   This year, those are me and Erin Barry, with Patty Giavara as the Alternate, who can vote if Erin or I is not available.  We have a small crop of Resolutions that we will be voting on, plus officers to elect to the State Grange officer corps.  I’ve sent the Resolutions to all up-to-date Grange members, and have received advice from a number of them on Resolutions ranging from naming sleeping cabins at the VT State Grange Center to mandating insurance coverage for IVF treatments in Vermont.
We’ve also been doing some cleaning up of our Hall over the past couple of weeks.   Special thanks go out to Joe Blakely, shown below cleaning the windows in the Main Hall, and to Jody Pettersen, Patty Giavara and Liz Benjamin, who all joined me in the effort to make our Grange Hall clean and welcoming for our guests next week–as well as for our many renters and Hall users, of course!

October 5th Grange program:
we learn about managing our money–and making more!

We had a small but enthralled audience for the program arranged for us by new Grange Lecturer Patty Giavara.   Our presenter was Rosie Gray, who is a financial coach and micro-business consultant with Capstone Community Action.  Capstone, located on Gable Place in Barre, is one of 5 Community Action organizations in Vermont, and part of a network of similar programs in every state.   Their mission is to help “create resilient households and communities, and to advance justice in social, economic and environmental policy”.   Rosie’s part in the organization is, with another instructor, to teach free workshops called “Micro-Business Startup” and “Money Conversations”, which are available to all, taught via Zoom on Wednesdays from 11 AM to noon, and noon to 1 PM respectively.  You can see much more info on Capstone’s Workshops web-page.  Rosie gave us a summary and told us great stories about how these can make a real difference in people’s lives; here are a few samples:
  • Micro-Business classes teach:  Record-keeping, What you need to know before starting a business, Intro to writing a business plan, Cash-flow projections and forecasts, Marketing 101 and Social media marketing.
  • Money Conversations classes teach:  Frauds, scams and record-keeping, Spending plan and budgeting, How to save, Credit scores and more, Borrowing wisely and How to steer your way to a great auto purchase.
  • These 6 week class cycles repeat throughout the year, and are open to everyone, with no income limits.  Space is limited, and you must register!
  •  A “micro-business” is one with 5 or less people.
  • There are a huge number of resources to help save money; one example is a GMP income-sensitive program that can reduce monthly bills by 25% for those who qualify.
  • If credit card and other borrowing has got you behind the 8-ball, loans can be consolidated–but it is much better to do it with a non-profit organization like Greenpath Financial Wellness.
       What I’ve listed is just the tip of the iceberg as far as what Rosie described.  Check out the website for more, and consider signing up for one of their classes.   Those of us at the program can vouch for her being an effective and engaging teacher!
Our next Community Program will be at our Dec. 7th meeting, we’ll keep you posted on what’s coming up.

Do these look like your hands?
Do those look like cookies you can bake?

   If the answer to either question is yes, you can really help us out as we host the State Grange.   Cookies:  So far, we still need more folks to make batches of cookies–or quickbreads, if that’s your specialty!   We know the State Grange members have sweet-tooths (sweet-teeth?), and we want to finish off the meals with some home-baked treats.  We’re perfectly happy to have you freeze your goodies if you want to make them ahead!  We’ll just need them to be dropped off on Thursday evening or Friday morning.
Please sign up so we know we have enough, using this free online form:  Perfect Potluck.  There’s contact info there to get in touch with Merry if you have questions.
And we know that after those meals, there will be dishes to wash!  We have volunteer cooks signed up to work all day, and it’s not fair to ask them to wash up too, so please sign up, by contacting Alison Forrest.  We’ve got a couple of folks already, and need a few more.  We’ve bought extra drainers so that many of the dishes can be left to air-dry–we’re doing our best to make this manageable.

Filed Under: Grange Notes

Learn about money at the Grange Hall

September 28, 2024 by Tova

Grange Notes by Tim Swartz, Grange President (with everyone’s help) September 27, 2024

Saturday, Oct. 5:  Rosie Gray from Capstone

We have a speaker on an important issue for our October public program at the Grange Hall.   Rosie Gray works for Capstone Community Action, our local anti-poverty non-profit.   She teaches people how to navigate financial challenges and achieve long-term success through workshops and counseling.  She’s also a “micro-business” counselor, helping people start and run the smallest businesses.  She’ll describe her work, and answer questions.   This program will run from 5:00 to 6:00 PM, following a brief Grange meeting that starts at 4:30 PM.
And of course, the program will be followed by another delicious Community Potluck Dinner!   Bring whatever you want to share–perhaps a main dish from the bountiful harvest of local produce, or a bag of chips and dip picked up from the store on your way over.   Or desserts, or beverages–you’ll find appreciative eaters!

Elections:  integrating new officers, and improving governance

Every other year, all Granges elect new officers.  At our Sept. 7 meeting, I’m pleased to report that we have some new people taking on specific responsibilities by becoming officers in our Grange.  This has also allowed some folks to shift to new seats.  I know that not everyone wants to read through a list of all the officers, so I’m reporting the lineup in a separate “article” below in this newsletter.
One of the major improvements we made this year is to elect 3 members to the Executive Committee.  This group, which also includes the President and Treasurer, is empowered to make interim decisions for the Grange, when decisions need to be taken between Grange meetings.  The EC must report its decisions to the next Grange meeting and have them approved.  Members of the EC can also hold other offices.  Our new EC members are:  Charles Mayhood, Patty Giavara and Bill Meckel.   While we try to make all decisions through official motions at regular Grange meetings, it’s important to have a way to consider emergency or short-term needs which–inevitably–need to be handled fast–things like building system repairs and purchases are good examples.

State Grange meeting Oct. 25 & 26:
Dishwashing volunteers needed!

We’re hosting the VT State Grange annual session this year–and feeding the delegates!   Our intrepid Meals Committee (Charles Mayhood, Alison Forrest, Merry Shernock and Richard DeCosta) has planned a menu of virtually all locally-sourced ingredients for 2 lunches and 2 dinners for this all-day Friday and Saturday event, expecting at least 60 guests!   They have plans for cooking and serving the food, but we badly need volunteer dishwashers.  This is actually a fun community activity–as you can see in the photo above.  We’ll be using the Grange’s collection of vintage china and melamine dinnerware, plus silverware and glasses–no disposables!   And this means that we need to wash the dishes after all 4 meals.   Please consider being part of the “clean team”–email me to get on the list!  You will also get the chance to meet some of the friendly folks from the State Grange whom we’re hosting.  We’ve already got a couple of folks signed up, no one will be working alone!

State Grange meeting Oct. 25 & 26:
And we need cookies and quickbreads!

We also need bakers to help us out by providing treats for desserts, including:
  • Brownies and other bars (all variations welcome!)
  • Cookies (ditto!)
  • Quickbreads (banana, pumpkin, zucchini, apple…all tasty choices!)
        You can make them ahead of time and freeze them!
        Please sign up so we know we have enough, using this free online form:  Perfect Potluck.  There’s contact info there to get in touch with Merry if you have questions.

Thanks to our friends at Montpelier Alive!

In the last edition of “Grange Notes”, I reported on the need to get the commercial dehumidifier serviced–the one keeps our Lower Level dry and mildew-free.   I’m pleased to report the Northern Basements, from whom we purchased the machine in 2020 has arranged to get it rebuilt by the manufacturer under the 5 year warranty.   And we have a “loaner” dehumidifier running to keep moisture controlled, thanks to Montpelier Alive, Alec Ellsworth and the Montpelier Parks & Trees department!   They have coordinated Montpelier’s response to the flooding that has hit the city in the past couple of years, and are kind enough to help us while our unit is being serviced.   We appreciate it!

Election details–who’s where on our “org chart”

 As promised above, here’s a list of the officers and their occupants, for those who want to really understand the organization.
  • President:  I’m taking this on for one more 2 year term, which will end in 2026.  By that time, I will have been in office 20 years.  I don’t think it’s good for the organization or for me to be in this position forever, so I am actively looking for others who want to share the duties.   I don’t plan to leave the Grange, and I look forward to helping my successor.
  • Vice President: Richard DeCosta takes over this office, which has an important part in our meeting ritual, and also serves as backup for the President.   Richard has been a member of this Grange since about 1990!  He has been “Assistant Steward” for many years, and is ready to do something else.
  • Secretary:  Bill Meckel stepped forward to take this important job on.   Over the past couple of years, Charles Mayhood has improved the organization and processes for which this office is responsible.  He’s created  a Word template for meeting minutes makes it easier to prepare these records, which are part of the legal records we must maintain to be a legitimate corporation in Vermont, as well as complying with Grange requirements.
  • Treasurer:  Merry Shernock has been in this office since 2016, and has brought in the use of Quickbooks for our bookkeeping.  Between keeping up with rental transactions, paying all the vendors we have, and managing the day-to-day finances, there is plenty to do.  Recently, Patty Giavara has been helping with looking at broader trends in our finances.
  • Steward:  Carl Etnier now has this job, which has one regular duty at our meetings, during the closing.  Traditionally, this job is associated with keeping the Hall organized, setting up the “stations” for the meetings, etc.  FYI, this is a role I would be happy to fill after I pass on the Presidency!
  • Assistant Steward:  Bill Meckel is taking on this job, as well as the office of Secretary.  The “AS” helps with ritual opening and closing at our meetings.
  • Lady Assistant Steward:  Jody Pettersen has agreed to fill this chair, which works with the Assistant Steward in the meeting ritual.
  • Chaplain:  Alison Forrest continues in this job; she has made the regular prayers in our ritual more inclusive and–we think–more in touch with the values we hold.
  • Lecturer:  Patty Giavara has agreed to take this over from Carl, who has substantial duties as the Chair of the Hunger Mountain Co-op Board taking up a lot of his time these days.  The October 5 program with Rosie Gray marks her debut!  She welcomes suggestions from anyone.
  • Gatekeeper:  Liz Benjamin is taking on this sash and seat; in our Grange, the Gatekeeper welcomes people who come to our meetings, since we (long ago) stopped asking attendees for the annual password–everyone is welcome.
  • The three Graces are ceremonial roles in the Grange, reserved for women to fill from the founding of the Order of the Patrons of Husbandry, the official name of the Grange organization. Here are the three now in office:
  • Ceres:  Cecile Sherburn is stepping in to this role, which includes leading the “Draping the Charter” ceremony with which the Grange honors members who pass away.   Gail England filled this role for many years, but is no longer active.  Ceres, the goddess of the Harvest, is related to the end of the growing season.
  • Flora:  Amy Handy, who has been doing a wonderful job improving our flower beds is continuing in this job, which relates to the spirit of the flowers of the garden.
  • Pomona:  Marty Roberts has taken this on, so we have a full set of the Graces.   This office has roles in other Grange rituals, as the spirit of fruits.  As you can see, the metaphors of the farm and garden are very important in the Grange.
  • Musician:  Matt Nunnelly has done a wonderful job as the piano player and song leader who brings us together in song a few times during each meeting, and plays marches for the rituals we perform.  We look forward to his continuing!  It’s great to be part of an organization that recognizes the importance of music and singing together at every meeting.
         Each of these officers gets to wear one of the beautiful blue sashes at our ritual meetings; some get other emblems of office, like the “staves” which mark some of their seats.  Please get in touch to learn more about the offices and their duties.   And whatever the official title, all officers and members work together to help our Grange and our Hall run smoothly, and to make a positive difference in our community!

Filed Under: Grange Notes

Saturday: Grange meeting, electing officers, fundraiser report & more!

September 6, 2024 by Tova

Grange Notes by Tim Swartz, Grange President (with everyone’s help) September 5, 2024

Montpelier Contra Dancers
blow the top off the tote board!

The August “Challenge Fundraiser” came to a great close at the Saturday night dance, as the dance community beat the $4,000 goal by a bit over $1,000!  This fundraiser, sponsored by the Montpelier Contra Dance Committee, happens every year, for the benefit of the Friends of the Capital City Grange.   The great response gives the FCCGH a big boost, as they apply for another grant for another Hall improvement project!   In this case, the project is an outdoor-air ventilation system for the Main Hall, which will bring in fresh air even when the windows have to be closed.
The fundraiser combined many small donations, and some larger ones to reach the $5,000+ total.   Many thanks to the “challengers” who donated $2,000 before the drive started, to the volunteers who decorated the Hall with lights, the cooks who made sweet treats for everyone to share at the break–and to the MCD committee, who included some of those volunteers!
Special thanks also to Rob Nichols, who for years has grown

houseplants which he offers to donors, in return for contributions.  You can see him and some of this year’s plants in the photo left–next to a photo of Alice Smolinsky from the MCD Committee, announcing that we’d met the Challenge match from the stage at the dance; Friends Chair Patty Giavara is standing on the floor applauding.   The photo above shows many of the 198 dancers who came to this festive dance, with the “tote board” of donations.   All of these photos were shared with us by long-time dancer and frequent Grange event photographer Jonathan Blake.

Special Grange meeting approves contribution to the ventilation project

On Saturday, Aug. 31, a dedicated group of 14 Grange members attended a special Grange meeting.   This meeting was called for the single purpose of discussing and voting on contributing $3,000 from the Grange financial reserves to the ventilation project being pursued by the FCCGH, as mentioned above.   The meeting included 8 members in person plus 6 via Zoom.  We had a lively discussion of the project, its technical details, expected maintenance costs and tasks, and the expected benefits for Grange renters and Hall users.   In the end, there was unanimous agreement to make the commitment, which will come into effect if the grant application (submitted yesterday, Sept. 4) is approved.  If you would like to learn more about the system, the discussion, the overall cost, the grant and the possible schedule, please email Tim and request a copy of the minutes of the special meeting.
If you want to be part of making decisions like these, please become a Grange member!   Annual dues are $30, and entitle you to vote in regular and special meetings, plus contributing to our community service of providing, maintaining and improving our beautiful Grange Hall.   See below for officer election information coming up this Saturday, or contact Tim using the email link above.

Do you have a spare dehumidifier?

If you zoom in on the little blue screen in the picture to the left, you’ll see that it says “Service Unit”.   This commercial dehumidifier sits on top of the KT&P shelves, and keeps the basement air dry…usually.  We are sending this back to the manufacturer for service, and could really use a temporary replacement.   Do you have an extra one you don’t need, that we could borrow for about 6 weeks?   We would need to attach it to a drain hose (as the one above is) so that it drains into the basement sump.  PLEASE email Tim if you can help us out!  Even a smaller unit should meet our needs, now that the worst of summer humidity and rains have passed.

An unexpected Grange activity

A couple of weeks ago, we had some problems with flushing the downstairs toilets, which was not a pleasant experience.  We ended up calling in MS Septic Service, who ran a sewer auger down the drains, and recommended that we have the septic tank pumped.    So, on Monday morning Aug. 26, we excavated the access hatch.   I’m pleased to report that some great volunteers showed up to help.  In the picture to the left, Kurt Giavara and Noah Harrison are wielding pickaxes, while that’s me on the left doing “the heavy looking-on” as my aunt Roz used to say.   Patty Giavara and Noah’s son Luca also helped to dig.  The parking lot gravel is very densely packed, and it was a great help to have enough people to take turns pick-axing and shoveling.  Thank goodness it’s less than 2 feet down!
MS Septic came back a couple of days later and pumped out the tank (see below), finding no major problems.   We are scheduling more frequent pumping.   Are you available to help with a project like this, that can pop up unexpectedly?  I’d love to put you on the list to be called if short-term help is needed! 

 

Just Food Hub:  selling fair-trade food, and raising money for the Grange

Since the Grange has just gotten a check from Just Food Hub, it’s a good excuse to remind people about them!   Owned and operated by Grange members and supporters Sue and John Morris, this organization is a volunteer effort to bring tasty, organic food products raised by small producers from around the world to Central Vermont, while also raising money for non-profit local organizations.  One of those is the Grange!  If you click on this special link:  https://justfoodhub.us/capital-city-grange/, you’ll be able to order fair-trade chocolate, nuts, dried fruit, coffees, olive oil, hot sauces…and much more…and know that every purchase also sends a small amount to our Grange!   Sue and John run this “anti-profit” business as one of their community service projects.
Below are some pictures from one of their suppliers, Gebana Burkina Faso, of farmers harvesting mangoes and processing cashews, plus a group shot under a tree that would be exceptionally big even in Vermont!
We appreciate Sue & John’s ongoing support for the Grange and other community non-profits!

Filed Under: Grange Notes

  • « Previous Page
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • 6
  • …
  • 51
  • Next Page »

Contact Us

Tim Swartz, President, CCG#469
802-225-8921 (cell)
grangepresident@capitalcitygrange.org

 

Recent Posts

  • June Grange meeting, and summer plans
  • Spring cleanup–thanks to all the volunteers!
  • Spruce up the Grange Hall and celebrate “burning the mortgage”!

Copyright © 2025 · Outreach Pro on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in