Twice a month, the employees from each of the six offices of Maine Highlands Federal Credit Union dress casually for “Caring for Community.” Each employee pays $3 for the privilege of wearing jeans and a Caring for Community Shirt. The MHFCU matches these donations. The total funds collected on these dress-casual days benefit a local nonprofit organization. Valley Grange was recently named the recipient of those funds. Thank you, Maine Highlands Federal Credit Union Employees for supporting our programs!

Members and friends of the Grange, please say “thanks” when you visit one of the MHFCU offices!

(The offices are in Dexter, Guilford, Dover-Foxcroft, Greenville Junction, Brownville, and Canaan.)

Volunteers will create blankets for children in need

Valley Grange of Guilford is sponsoring a blanket-making event on Saturday, May 2, 2026, from 9:00 a.m. until noon, and volunteers are needed! Organizer Pat Engstrom notes, “No sewing skills are needed. If you can measure, cut a straight line with scissors, or tie a simple knot, you can become a ‘blanketeer’ and help support Project Linus. We’ll show you how!”

Project Linus, a non-profit organization, provides handmade blankets to children who are seriously ill, traumatized, or otherwise in need. Last year’s event resulted in more than 100 blankets being completed. Since the need isn’t decreasing, Engstrom hopes to see the number of blankets made increase again this year.

“We have a great time doing this, and truly just about anyone can help. We create quite a production line, and it sometimes gets quite competitive! It’s exciting to realize we’re providing love in the form of ‘blankies’ that represent security, warmth, and comfort for kids. We consider them fabric hugs.”

While supplies will be provided, volunteers are encouraged to bring scissors, rulers, and masking tape. Light refreshments will be served.

For additional information, contact Pat Enstrom at 564-8290 or visit the Valley Grange Website at http://valleygrange.com. Valley Grange is located at 172 Guilford Center Road, at the corner of Butter Street.

Invite others! Share the news!

It’s knitting, crocheting, and quilting season! Mary Annis, Joyce Flanders, Pat Engstrom, and Janice Boomsma had fun sorting donations at our March Meeting, including a large bag from Linda Kain.

Handcrafted products are distributed in many different local outlets. Hats and mittens go to our local schools, including Piscataquis Elementary, SeDoMoCha, Brownville Elementary, Ridgeview Elementary, and Harmony Elementary. Lap robes are available to nursing homes, and we supply the Hospice Program’s Operation Gratitude for Veterans.

Help is always needed and welcomed! If you are interested, contact Mary Annis (564-0820) or Pat Engstrom (564-8290) for more information.

The following post recently appeared on social media:

The Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office Basic Needs Program provides warm hats, gloves, and socks to warming centers.

Basic needs are fundamental for human survival, regardless of where an individual stands in their personal journey. The role of corrections extends beyond mere incarceration; there is a critical responsibility to support rehabilitation and provide access to necessary resources. This mission is pursued both within correctional facilities and throughout the county.

Today, members of the Correctional Division distributed warm hats, gloves, and socks to local warming shelters. With severe temperatures and hazardous weather conditions forecasted for the upcoming weekend, these supplies will significantly aid individuals in their efforts to navigate their personal challenges.

(No taxpayer or budget funding was utilized for this human initiative. We appreciate those who support our basic needs mission.)

Knitters, Grangers and Granges, please note!

You’ll catch one third grader saying that if you listen carefully! Valley Grange is currently in the middle of our Words for Thirds Dictionary Days, introducing kids to their own new dictionary. WABI-TV5’s Alyssa Thurlow and Mark Rediker caught up with the Valley Grange Team that visited Ridgeview Elementary School on November 5, 2025.

A new Piscataquis Farmers Market is coming to Guilford every Saturday morning in June, July, and August. This will be a great opportunity to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables, homemade breads, jams, and honey, naturally raised meats, milk, eggs, and cheeses, coffee, maple syrup, local handmade crafts, and much more from local farmers and craftspeople. 

The market will be held in the park along the Piscataquis River in Guilford, Maine, next to Maine Coffee & Mercantile.

The farmers’ market will accommodate up to 40 vendors, so if you are interested in being a full-season or partial-season vendor, please click the button below and complete the application form. Applications for vendors and farmers are taken year-round.

By the way, the dictionaries for this year are arriving today! Dictionary Days are coming soon!

As we gear up for Dictionary Days in the schools in our area, this seemed particularly worth sharing!

According to a recent Dictionary Project Newsletter, “A study published in 2023 found that only about 67% of 3rd grade students in the US are reading at grade level. Children who don’t read proficiently by the end of third grade are four times more likely not to graduate high school on time. One contributing factor to the fall in children’s literacy is the rise in screen time, which often replaces quiet reading or meaningful conversation. Limiting screen time can help children develop stronger attention spans and focus on building their reading skills.”

The same newsletter (July 20, 2025) “Sweden went all-in on tablets in the classroom, then saw 4th grade reading scores tank. Now they’re spending 60M Euros to bring back real books, because screens weren’t helping. And here in the U.S., only 30% of 8th graders read at grade level, with writing scores just as bleak. If one of the most tech-savvy nations is pulling the plug, maybe America should start asking if screen time is quietly dumbing down a whole generation.“

We’re doing our part by planning to distribute dictionaries to every third grader in area schools with their own personal dictionary. Our program includes Brownville, Harmony, Piscataquis Community, SeDoMoCha, Ridgeview, and an Amish School in Corinth.

Bring your donations to the meeting or drop them off at the Hall. Note that we must receive donations by September 25th. You can also drop off donations at any Bangor Savings Branch until September 30th. Tell ’em we sent you!

By the way, Bank Savings Bank is donating one additional jar of peanut butter or jelly to food insecurity programs for each jar they receive. Spread the word! (No pun intended, but it would be a good one!)