Grange Notes by Tim Swartz, Grange President (with everyone’s help), April 30, 2020
Join us on May 2nd, from 5 to 6 PM–a discussion with Dave Zuckerman: learning from the Coronavirus crisis about how to improve our food system
Our 2nd “Virtual Program”, at 5:00 PM on May 2nd will feature VT organic farmer David Zuckerman, discussing the future of our food systems. The COVID-19 crisis has made us all think more about how food gets to us. Not everything is available on the shelves in our markets, and food is in the news.
Now, grocery workers and farm workers are recognized as “essential workers”. U.S. farms are having difficulties getting the immigrant workers they need. Large food facilities like meat-packing plants are shutting down amidst spikes of COVID-19–and are being named as “essential businesses” under the Defense Production Act so they will be kept open. Long distance supply chains seem more fragile than ever. Millions of people are planting gardens–many for the first time.
As a society, what are sensible policy responses to building a more resilient, self-sufficient food system? As individuals, what are some of the best things for us to be planting to feed ourselves and help our neighbors?
David Zuckerman has thought about food resilience for decades. Besides being Lt. Gov., he is co-owner of “Full Moon Farm” in Hinesburg. He’ll share his thoughts on these issues, and other questions people bring up in this hour-long Zoom meeting.
To join this Zoom Meeting from your computer, follow this link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81592514215 (If you have not been involved in a Zoom meeting before, you will need to allow a few minutes to download & install the free Zoom connection. Once you have done this, a window will pop up, offering a choice of “Phone Call” or “Computer Audio” for hearing the meeting.)
With your computer, you will be able to see any visuals presented, plus the faces of others with webcams activated. If you have a web-cam, we will be able to see you as well!
To join this Zoom meeting from your phone, call this phone #:
646-558-8656. When prompted enter this “Meeting ID”: 815 9251 4215, followed by the # sign.
It’s fine to try out these links before the meeting, you will just see/hear nothing before the meeting starts! We will get to see how we like this program compared to the “GoToMeeting” set-up we used for the April meeting. Zoom has made security enhancements since the problems experienced soon after many users started using it in the earlier days of the Coronavirus.
Spread the word: please share this invitation with your friends, with your family, with the many people we hope you are staying in touch with! These subjects are important to everyone! This Program is completely free and open to the public!
Grange Lecturer Carl Etnier has set up this meeting with Dave Zuckerman, and will be the moderator for it.
1/2 hour Grange meeting before the programFrom 4:30 to 5:00:
We will have a non-ritual Grange meeting, to discuss what is going on with finances and the Grange Hall, and to check in on how we are all doing. GrangeMusician Matt Nunnelly will play and sing an opening song for us; we learned at the last meeting that we can’t sing along through the meeting app, but feel free to join in at home!
Treasurer Merry Shernock will present a Treasurer’s Report, and will discuss our minimal cash-flow; she’ll also be wearing her Rental Agent hat, and will report on our tenant relations.
I will report on the Grange Hall; Patty Giavara will report on the final grant report that she has been writing up.
Carl Etnier has set up a separate Zoom meeting for the Grange, separate from the Program meeting, to reduce confusion for people tuning in just for the David Zuckerman presentation. Here’s how to connect: To join this Zoom Meeting from your computer, follow this link: https://zoom.us/j/93075767470?pwd=OUZPS3N2VmUrUEJ5dXJzcCs5Mkpjdz09 (As noted above, if you have not been involved in a Zoom meeting before, you will need to allow a few minutes to download & install the free Zoom connection. Once you have done this, a window will pop up, offering a choice of “Phone Call” or “Computer Audio” for hearing the meeting.
With your computer and an attached webcam you will be able to see the video
To join this Zoom meeting from your phone, call this phone #:
646-558-8656. When prompted, enter this “Meeting ID”: 930 7576 7470, followed by the # sign. You will then be asked to enter your “participant ID”–use the password: 508853. When I tried this out, a couple of times the “meeting ID” number I entered correctly was not received–extra digits were “heard” according to the little voice in my ear, so be prepared to re-enter it a couple of times.
Send us feedback on this idea! We will also be considering best ways to share this meeting and to moderate the discussion. Please send us other suggestions for program ideas; Merry’s & the Grange Notes contact info is above, Carl can be reached at carl@etnier.net
For the longer term: The Grange Hall is staying empty, and we can’t yet advertise our wonderful new lower-level for public use. We can afford to stay closed for a while, but we’ll be gradually depleting the savings that we have. In that way, we are in the same boat as other organizations and individuals.
Our exemption from property taxes from the Town of Berlin will expire in March, 2021; we will have to campaign to keep this major savings in place. We’ll be citing our service as a Wi-Fi hotspot, along with allowing Town organizations and residents to use the Hall for free–at least 46 times in 2019! Can you help us with this campaigning when the time comes?
Since we finished the basement renovations just before the shut-down, we have not been able to publicize our excellent “new” space. While we have time, I would like to hear from people who can help us create a marketing campaign that we can use when the very necessary restrictions are loosened, to advertise our facilities, including the lower-level with its new insulated walls, new carpet, new electrical outlets–and no more mildew!
I would also like to publicize needs for volunteers for the work of other organizations, that people know about. I believe we have a lot of readers of the Grange Notes who want to do community service work–and most have more time on their hands! Let me know if you have a need our readers might be able to fill!
You can also post this sort of info on the Capital City Grange Facebook page! The link for this is also at the top of these Notes.
On behalf of the Grange–Stay Home, Stay Safe and Stay Healthy!
Supporting the Grange with “Virtual Events” As noted above–our Grange Hall has been closed and empty.
If you’d like to keep our noses above water, we’d love to have “Virtual Rentals” start to fill up our Calendar. If you want to “rent” the Hall for 1/2 hour, or 3 hours, or a whole day, we would be happy to list you as the sponsor! Please contact me (Tim) or our volunteer Rental Agent/Treasurer, Merry Shernock–see the contact info at the top of this Grange Notes.
On behalf of the Grange–Stay Home, Stay Safe and Stay Healthy!