Community Service Programs at Winona Grange #271

Once upon a time, Winona Grange, along with every other Grange ever established, served a local, rural, agricultural community. Time has changed the landscape of America. Although many Granges still find themselves in rural settings, Winona Grange #271 is now in the heart of a larger metropolitan population center. From the beginning, Granges played a pivotal role in securing essential supplies for the farmers, collective bargaining in their marketing efforts, legislation for education of their children, and a central location for social recreation, to name but a few. A longer list can be found on the Grange History page. Winona Grange recognizes that some community challenges are still with us today. Hunger is still a significant challenge in Oregon. With all the shortfalls in education funding, we see that there are goals we can work toward in concert with our local schools. And, every new generation will need to include some farmers, for every new mouth needs to be fed. To address these needs, Winona Grange #271 has ongoing programs in these areas: Grange Gardens, to coordinate efforts to grow fresh vegetables and fruits for our local Food Bank, Words for Thirds, to supply local Third Graders with appropriate Dictionaries, Agricultural Scholarships, awarded to Tigard-Tualatin High School Seniors each year. More information on all of these programs will be found below. Social recreation: The Grange Hall, with its hard maple dance floor, is still just as good to dance in, as it was back when it was first built in 1940. And, two local groups of Square Dancers still dance there, too. Our Hall schedule can be found on the The Hall page.

Gardens for the Food Bank

Grange Gardens The Gardens for the Food Bank program coordinates community efforts to grow fresh vegetables and fruits as donations for the local Food Bank. Individuals and groups may participate. You can grow an extra row, or a whole garden, on your own property. Or, if you don't have sufficient space where you are, a Winona Grange member has made space available for others to use at a nearby Tualatin Century Farm. Space provided has been tilled, with organic mulch, and irrigation water is available on site. Bring your seeds, starts and plants, and grow along with the rest of us. You may also donate unused, viable seeds, starts and plants for others to use, either at the Grange Garden, or in other locations. The Grange will see that whatever is donated, gets put to good use. All produce and proceeds go to the local Food Bank. To get started, email us with your name and contact information, and we will direct you to the Grange Garden project. Or, let us know how you would like to participate. While we're on the subject of Gardening, also see the Garden Seed Program page, for information about the distribution of donated garden seeds. In addition, see the section below entitled "The Tool Shed."

Words for Thirds

The Grange is proud to support The Dictionary Project through its Words for Thirds program. Through the tireless efforts of the Grange's network of more than 300,000 volunteers, America's oldest rural and agricultural organization has presented third grade students across the nation with more than 100,000 dictionaries. Each year, Winona Grange provides a Third Grade class with dictionaries, one for each student. Many Oregon schools have had to make difficult decisions regarding funding for textbooks, dictionaries and other reference materials; the Grange is happy to be of help in this vital area. If you or your group are interested in partnering with us in this effort, please feel free to contact us.

The Dolores Crossway Scholarship

Seniors in the Tigard-Tualatin School District intending to enter a college degree program leading to a career in Agriculture are eligible to apply for a $2500 Agricultural Scholarship from Winona Grange #271. The award is named in honor of Winona Grange's Past Master, who had a passion for encouraging young people in career choices, especially in agriculture. Acceptable courses of study include Farming, Forestry, Fisheries, Environmental Science, Landscaping/Nurseries/Horticulture, and Veterinary Medicine. Applicants are expected to articulate both their plan for education and their plans for career path in their application. Students in the Tigard-Tualatin School District can obtain more information from their Guidance Counselors. The Application Form has all the necessary details and requirements. 2009 Dolores Crossway Scholarship Winner Flanked by Winona Grange's Scholarship Committee members Sam Keator, left, and Rochelle Smith, right, Kari Jenson, from Tigard High, is the 2009 winner of the Dolores Crossway Scholarship Award. Kari, an avid equestrian, will pursue a career in Veterinary Medicine.

The Tool Shed

A program to provide good, used garden tools to those who need them. Think Green: Think Recycled Think about all those garden tools you have seen at Garage Sales, Estate Sales, and Moving Sales. And you, like us, have walked past most of them. We already have our garden tools, and we don't need more. It's a shame not to put them to work, though. Help us get them into the hands of those who need them to grow their own vegetables, but can't really afford to go out and buy all new tools right now. Starting in 2009, Winona Grange #271 will collect donations of good, used garden tools, and distribute them to needy folks in the Tualatin or Washington County area. What are we looking for? Almost everything: shovels, rakes and hoes, spading forks and pitchforks. Weeders. Long handles, D-handles, and short-handled hand tools, too. No longer sharp? We can fix that. Broken handle? We'll probably pass on it. If you have good, used garden tools to donate, or have the opportunity to buy a few inexpensively at local sales, and donate them, please contact us. You may send us an email here ; we will contact you to set up a time and a place to bring your tools. Questions? Email the Toolshed  Thanks!