Happy New Year!
A New Year’s Letter of Thanks
Dear members and friends of the Sonoma Valley Grange-
As we say goodbye to 2023, I want to thank you for all of your support for the Grange this eventful year. Whether a member, or a visitor enjoying our farm fresh, locally sourced, elegant pancake breakfasts, you have been a part of our success. With member participation key to our operation, we were able to formally reestablish as a local Grange, securing our new charter as of April.
The Grange, nationally, is the oldest farm organization in the country, founded in 1867. The California State Grange is the oldest in the State, founded in 1873. A Fraternal organization started to support the family farm, has expanded to support all people of the communities they serve. Our Grange was founded in 1924, and we acquired our building in 1934. We live by our Mission of “Healthy Farms, Healthy Food, Healthy Community.” But how do we serve?
Acting as a home for valley farmers and food producers, the Grange Hall has served many Valley residents as a local meeting and gathering space, for celebratory events, farm to table meals, an emergency center, a food distribution center, an educational space, a small business incubator, and so much more. These opportunities expand as we are able to open up more for events, meetings and rentals in the new year.
We hosted the SOS free meal program for the year, providing a venue for their expanding service. They have moved into a new facility just down the road, intent on being able to further expand their important service to the community.
We are pleased to announce that we will continue that tradition, as we will now be hosting the local Meals On Wheels of Sonoma, which will use our kitchen to good effect, making meals to deliver to seniors and the homebound. We look forward to this new community collaboration.
Reaching out, we participated in regional Grange Pamona meetings, working on issues of all Sonoma County Granges. We participated in the State Grange Annual Convention and State policy committees, defining the course of the State Grange for the coming year. Our Secretary Laurie Gallian was voted onto the State Grange Foundation, which makes it easier for all Granges to seek donations. Our member and Chef, Sean Paxton made most of the meals for the State Convention and was well received. He brings the same expertise and passion to our pancake breakfasts and will helm future meals.
As we come into our 100th Anniversary year, we will both celebrate with community events and seek your donations. Our goal is to become a fully functional emergency center, replacing heating and air conditioning so we can become a viable warming or cooling center during extreme weather events, being able to operate during power outages by having solar with battery backup. Emergency centers also need to be hubs of communication, relaying vital information during crises. Seeking funds to manifest these lofty, necessary goals will be a heavy lift, but possible only with your support.
Along with these higher goals, we must expand our capabilities to attend to the mundane maintenance issues of caring for an older building and property, from the replacement of fences to a storage container owned not rented, to updated kitchen equipment. Taken together, we have set our fundraising goal at $100,000.
While these funds allow us to move forward, the movement only happens with people who can put in the work, the members and volunteers, giving of their time and labors. We gather in the firm belief that our tradition of mutual support for community and agriculture, and for our Hall as a base for that mutual support, drives us all to a better future.
Please join us, please donate, and be a part of that future.
You can reach us at:
Sonoma Valley Grange #407
PO Box 546
Boyes Hot Springs, CA 95416
Thank you again for 2023, and looking forward to 2024.–
In Fraternity and CharityRaymund Gallian
President
Sonoma Valley Grange #407
Sonoma Valley Grange #407 