May 2025: Ukuleles Unite!, Food for Thought, PT Community Dance, & Dance Classes

With our Merv-13 filtration system, we feel confident having our events.
Please stay home if you do not feel well! 
See each event for health requirements.

Mark your calendars with these May events - 
see below for more info…
  • May 6th - Ukuleles Unite! Happy Hour: Open Mic & Singalong.
  • May 13th - Food For Thought presents: BioChar & Terra Preta with Francesco & Lowell.
  • May 17th - Port Townsend Community Dance with Vashon Island caller Susan Michaels, and local band Breaking Up Christmas performing live music.
  • Wednesdays, May 14th, 21st, & 28th - Balkan Dancing.
  • Sundays, May 4th, 11th, 18th, & 25th - Beginning Line Dance. 
  • Mondays, April 5th, 12th, 19th, & 26th - Intermediate Line Dance.


COMMUNITY & SPONSORED EVENTS
MAY 2025

Ukuleles Unite! Happy Hour

Ukulele Unite! Happy Hour is open to the public. It is always the first Tuesday of the month starting at 5:00 pm. Enjoy listening and singing along with us. The relaxed atmosphere encourages beginners to advanced groups and individuals to perform. Bring your musical instruments, even a kazoo and play along with us. We do suggest a small donation to help pay the rent.

Guidelines for Open Mic Happy Hour:

  1. Sign up upon arrival if you wish to perform.
  2. Solo performers are allowed one song and one singalong song.
  3. Groups can perform up to three songs, with one designated as a singalong.
  4. Bring singalong music for projection.
  5. Kindly maintain quiet and respectful behavior while performers are on stage.
For more info visit: ukulelesunite.com, or contact George Yount at 360-477-5788 • gyount@olypen.com.

Tuesday, May 6th, 2025
5:00 pm
Suggested Donation: $5
Snacks Welcomed

Quimper Grange, 1219 Corona Ave.,
Port Townsend, WA 98368




BioChar & Terra Preta
with Francesco & Lowell

Quimper Grange's Food For Thought presents a free discussion on BioChar and Terra Preta. Attendees will be given an overview of biochar history, production and uses, including local examples (Jefferson & Clallam counties).  Biochar is produced in simple micro-gasifier stoves, kilns, and industrial processes. Biochar can be used as a soil amendment and water filter media for the removal of heavy metals. 

The presentation is structured for maximum attendee Q&A. Francesco and Lowell will present:

  • A short history, overview, of Biochar (Terra Preta) both globally and locally.
  • Local production and availability of Biochar.
  • Examples of uses on the Olympic Peninsula, highlighting use at Dietz Farm and its potential health benefits.

Biochar & mushroom kits will be available for purchase at the presentation, cash or check only.

Tuesday, May 13th, 2025
6:30 pm
Doors open at 6:15 pm
All Are Welcome

Quimper Grange, 1219 Corona Ave.,
Port Townsend, WA 98368

The Grange has ADA access and
an outstanding Merv-13 air filtration system.

Food For Thought is a free monthly lecture series that is open to the community. Quimper Grange is located at 1219 Corona St., Port Townsend. Doors open at 6:15; there will be time afterwards to socialize.

Did you know? The word "grange" comes from a Latin word for grain and is related to a "granary" or, generically, a farm.

May’s Port Townsend
Community Dance!

The May Port Townsend Community Dance will take place on Saturday, May 17th at the Quimper Grange. The Grange is located in Port Townsend’s Dundee Hill neighborhood at 1219 Corona Street. Doors open at 7:15 with dancing from 7:30 pm to 10:00 pm.


Vashon Island caller Susan Michaels will bring her humor, excellent teaching, and wonderful mixture of dances to the Grange for this dance. Local band Breaking Up Christmas will be playing a tasty mixture of old time rock & roll, with Dave Thielk on fiddle, Chris Cooper on banjo, Carol Hardy on guitar, and Chris Stuart on bass.

The Port Townsend Community Dance is inspired by traditional kitchen and barn dances and features a mixture of traditional sets, always danced to live music along with a dance caller. All experience levels are welcome; all dances are taught! Come alone, with a friend/partner, your family, or the whole village! Admission is $10 per person/$20 per family; however, no one will be turned away at the door. 

This dance is the last of the season! We are taking a break for the summer and will return in September...Hope to see you there!

Saturday, May 17th, 2025
7:30 pm - 10:00 pm
Doors open 7:15 pm

Admission:
$10 per person / $20 per family
No One Turned Away!

Please bring your own personal water bottle,
& consider arriving on foot or by bicycle if possible!

Quimper Grange
1219 Corona Ave., Port Townsend, WA 98368

Balkan Dancing

Wednesdays: May 14th, 21st, & 28th


Every Wednesday except the first Wed. of the month. No partner needed. 
Evenings start with mellow dances & progress to intermediate. Fast paced & fun! 
Richard & Susi Watson host. 7:00 pm • $5 entry.



Beginning Line Dance Class
No Experience Necessary • Drop-ins Welcome
Every Sunday in May at 1:00 pm
90 minute class • $10 Suggested Donation
For more info: 360-302-0188
vickieltownsend@gmail.com

Intermediate Line Dance Class
This class is not for beginners - one should have some line dance experience before attending.
Every Monday in May at 6:00 pm
90 minute class • $10 Suggested Donation
For more info: 360-302-0188
vickieltownsend@gmail.com

QG FOOD BANK GARDEN NEWS
by Barbara Tusting
Kathy D. holds a beautiful tray of herbs bound for the Food Bank.

As the weather warms, our winter crops subside. We harvested nearly all of our winter-grown Stir Fry Mix (122# Jan-Apr), spinach is still coming on strong, and our lettuce will be ready to supply the food bank with a regular salad mix from here out.

Our tomato house is planted, waiting to plant peppers & basil for another month. A new volunteer, Susi, has experience in making compost and nettle teas to augment our other amendments, and she's already distributed a 32-gallon bucket to our entire garden. And, the main part of our All-Access garden bed is complete. In the coming month, we are designing and building the three wheelchair beds. And then in June we'll have an irrigation work party to install the final irrigation for the raised beds.

Come join the fun Tues and/or Fri afternoon 1-3 pm. We're certain to have a job that fits your abilities!






BECOME A MEMBER  •  RENT  •  SUPPORT / DONATE


GRANGE MEMBERSHIP
Support your local Grange! Become a member! Help keep the hall open for community 
events, concerts, dances and rentals! Meetings occur the third Sunday of the month, 3:30 p.m. at the Quimper Grange Hall. Come to meet members and learn about activities, concerts and new projects we’re considering. Download and print our brochure from our website: quimpergrange.com at the Membership Information tab and mail to:

Quimper Grange, 1219 Corona Ave, Port Townsend, WA 98368

BUILDING RENTAL
Rent our Grange Hall for your event or meeting. We have an excellent air filtration system and a beautiful interior. 

  1. Check our website under “Calendar of Events” to see if the date you want is available.
  2. Email quimpergrange@gmail.com or Call Doug at 360-531-0326.
  3. An orientation to the building will follow for potential renters.  
SUPPORT / DONATE
Your support keeps the Grange Hall maintained and open to offer music, dance, community events, and private rentals. Your help also supports the food bank garden with water and electricity bills. Checks made out to “Quimper Grange #720” can be mailed to 1219 Corona Ave, Port Townsend WA 98368.
 
See you at the Quimper Grange!

April 2025: Ukuleles Unite!, Spring Plant Sale, Food for Thought, Community Dance, & Dance Classes

 With our Merv-13 filtration system, we feel confident having our events. 
Please stay home if you do not feel well! See each event for health requirements.

Mark your calendars with these April events - 
see below for more info…

  • April 1st - Ukuleles Unite! Happy Hour.
  • April 5th - Food Bank Growers' Spring Plant Sale!
  • April 8th - Food For Thought presents: 'Saving the Planet with Your Fork' by Mary Purdy.
  • April 19th - Port Townsend Community Dance - with local caller David Thielk, and fiddler Joe Fulton & Friends.
  • Wednesdays, April 9th, 16th, 23th, & 30th - Balkan Dancing.
  • Sundays, April 6th, 13th, 20th, & 27th - Beginning Line Dance. 
  • Mondays, April 7th, 14th, 21st, & 28th - Intermediate Line Dance.


COMMUNITY & SPONSORED EVENTS
APRIL 2025

Ukuleles Unite!
Happy Hour

No Fooling - the public is welcome to Ukuleles Unite Happy Hour on Tuesday, April 1st, at 5:00 pm. Hear performances, join us in the sing-a-longs, even try strumming along with a loaner uke. Enjoy the company & party atmosphere. For more info visit: ukulelesunite.com.

Tuesday, April 1st, 2025
5:00 pm
All Are Welcome

Quimper Grange, 1219 Corona Ave.,
Port Townsend, WA 98368


Food Bank Growers'
Spring Plant Sale!
We have an exciting and bountiful presentation this Spring with many vegetable starts, berries, herbs, flowers, and other plants ready to put in the ground. We also have related items such as weeding certificates, calendula salve, hand-collected seeds for sale, and plant ID tags.

Food Bank Growers Plant Sales are more than just fundraisers — they are a way to directly feed our community! Every purchase helps FBG gardens to provide fresh, healthy food to food banks and other entities. By helping with these events, you’re investing in local sustainability, supporting neighbors, and ensuring that everyone has access to nutritious, homegrown produce.

We are also pleased to host the Master Gardner’s Plant Clinic and the WSU Seed Library at this event.
Saturday, April 5th, 2025
10:00 am - 1:00 pm
All Are Welcome

Quimper Grange is located at 1219 Corona Ave.,
Port Townsend, WA 98368

Help us to grow a stronger, more food-secure community!



'Saving the Planet with Your Fork'
with Mary Purdy
Did you know that certain foods or dietary patterns have a bigger environmental footprint than others?  What we choose to eat, buy, serve and advocate for (if we have that choice) can make a difference. Discover which foods - and how they are grown - are gentler on our planet while also being super nutritious and supportive to our health. This interactive workshop will offer four simple ways you can make a difference in creating a more sustainable, regenerative, resilient and equitable food & agricultural system.


Mary Purdy, MS, RDN, is an integrative eco-dietitian, working at the intersection of sustainable food systems, climate and human health. She is the Managing Director of the Nutrient Density Alliance which works to connect the dots between soil health and nutrient-rich food. She is also Adjunct Faculty at The Culinary Institute of America's Masters Program in Sustainable Food Systems With 125+ podcast episodes and two books, Mary is a leading voice in nutrition & sustainability, fostering resilient, just, and healthy food systems. More can be found at marypurdy.co.

Tuesday, April 8th, 2025
6:30 - 7:30 pm
Doors open at 6:15 pm
All Are Welcome

Quimper Grange, 1219 Corona Ave.,
Port Townsend, WA 98368

The Grange has ADA access and
an outstanding Merv-13 air filtration system.

Food For Thought is a free monthly lecture series that is open to the community. Quimper Grange is located at 1219 Corona St., Port Townsend. Doors open at 6:15; there will be time afterwards to socialize.

Did you know? Butter vs. Oleo - In the 1930's, to help butter-producing dairy farmers, Quimper Grange supported a 15¢ tax per pound on all butter substitutes. Uncolored margarine came with a dot of yellow food coloring that you kneaded in to make oleo look like butter. It wasn’t until 1952 that Washington State passed an initiative allowing margarine to be sold pre-colored.

April’s Port Townsend
Community Dance!

April's Port Townsend Community Dance at the Quimper Grange will feature local caller Dave Thielk who'll be calling active squares, circles, mixers, and contras. Joe Fulton & Friends will be serving up the dance tunes. Joe is a traditional dance fiddler who has played throughout the Northwest, recorded several CDs with The Tall Boys, and now makes his home in Jefferson County.

The Port Townsend Community Dance is inspired by traditional kitchen & barn dances, features a mixture of traditional sets, always danced to live music, and with a dance caller. All experience levels are welcome; all dances are taught! Come alone, with a friend, partner, family, or the whole village!

For more information, or interested in a work trade, please contact Dave Thielk at edavidt@gmail.com or ‪(971) 266-3170‬.

Saturday, April 19th, 2025
7:30 pm - 10:00 pm
Doors open 7:15 pm

Admission:
$10 per person / $20 per family
No One Turned Away!

Please bring your own personal water bottle,
& consider arriving on foot or by bicycle if possible!

Quimper Grange
1219 Corona Ave., Port Townsend, WA 98368

From last month’s Community Dance…




Balkan Dance

Wednesdays: April 9th, 16th, 23rd, & 30th


Every Wednesday except the first Wed. of the month. No partner needed. 
Evenings start with mellow dances & progress to intermediate. Fast paced & fun! 
Richard & Susi Watson host. 7:00 pm • $5 entry.



Beginning Line Dance Class
No Experience Necessary • Drop-ins Welcome
Every Sunday in April at 1:00 pm
90 minute class • $10 Suggested Donation
For more info: 360-302-0188
vickieltownsend@gmail.com

Intermediate Line Dance Class
This class is not for beginners - one should have some line dance experience before attending.
Every Monday in April at 6:00 pm
90 minute class • $10 Suggested Donation
For more info: 360-302-0188
vickieltownsend@gmail.com

QG FOOD BANK GARDEN NEWS

by Barbara Tusting
March seems a bit confused this year! In like a Lion and out like a Lamb? Not even close. But the warmer weather has us all quite a bit cheered up.

This past month has been a whopper. We got the first bed of our All-Access beds completed filled and planted…what a joyful moment! It's so easy to sit or stand and work instead of crouching down. No aching backs or muddy knees!


We are also just about ready for the Food Bank Growers' April 5th Plant Sale. Many volunteer hours have gone into seeding, up-potting, and preparing our spare plants for sale. We added an extra row of Sugar Snap Peas supplied by the WSU Community Seed Project that many gardens grew last year. We got a bunch of pea seeds, and used toilet paper tubes to get them growing. So easy - just plant the entire tube. We'll be doing the same for our pole beans in a short while - we could use some clean tp tube donations! We have many rows of alliums planted (bulb onions, scallions, shallot, and leeks) and a whole bunch of lettuce and pac choi as well. 

It's time to start your tomato seeds indoors. The trick with tomatoes (I just learned) is to up-pot them to the next size up as soon as they start their second set of leaves. Otherwise they won't grow as quickly or vigorously.

Our twice weekly donations to the Food Bank have still been quite fruitful with stir fry greens: asian greens, mustard, kales, etc - all grown in the hoop houses. Spinach is really coming up strong after overwintering under cover outdoors. And our microgreens have been regular and appreciated by the Food Bank clients.

It's also time to get your berries in the ground (we have a LOT of raspberries and strawberries this year for sale!). Throw lettuce & radish seeds around and lightly cover with soil. We have luck keeping them protected from the birds by using nets over the top - this is the time for sparrows & robins to start feasting on those tender greens!



BECOME A MEMBER  •  RENT  •  SUPPORT / DONATE


GRANGE MEMBERSHIP
Support your local Grange! Become a member! Help keep the hall open for community 
events, concerts, dances and rentals! Meetings occur the third Sunday of the month, 3:30 p.m. at the Quimper Grange Hall. Come to meet members and learn about activities, concerts and new projects we’re considering. Download and print our brochure from our website: quimpergrange.com at the Membership Information tab and mail to:

Quimper Grange, 1219 Corona Ave, Port Townsend, WA 98368

BUILDING RENTAL
Rent our Grange Hall for your event or meeting. We have an excellent air filtration system and a beautiful interior. 

  1. Check our website under “Calendar of Events” to see if the date you want is available.
  2. Email quimpergrange@gmail.com or Call Doug at 360-531-0326.
  3. An orientation to the building will follow for potential renters.  
SUPPORT / DONATE
Your support keeps the Grange Hall maintained and open to offer music, dance, community events, and private rentals. Your help also supports the food bank garden with water and electricity bills. Checks made out to “Quimper Grange #720” can be mailed to 1219 Corona Ave, Port Townsend WA 98368.
 
See you at the Quimper Grange!

March 2025: Ukuleles Unite, Food for Thought, Community Dance, DIY Tool Maintenance Clinic, & Dance Classes

 With our Merv-13 air filtration system, we feel confident hosting our events. 
Please stay home if you are not feeling well! See each event for health precautions.

Mark your calendars with these March events - see below for more info... 
  • March 4th - Ukuleles Unite! Happy Hour: Open Mic & Singalong.
  • March 11th - Food For Thought presents: Grow Your Own Mushrooms! with Mushroom Cultivator Lowell Dietz.
  • March 15th - Port Townsend Community Dance - with local caller David Thielk offering a rich selection of squares, contras, & related dance forms.
  • March 15th - DIY Tool Maintenance Clinic - a Quimper Grange & Food Bank Growers event.
  • March 22nd - George Yount to host his Final Harmonica Workshop.
  • Wednesdays, March 12th, 19th, & 26th - Balkan Dancing.
  • Sundays, March 2nd, 9th, 16th, 23rd, & 30th - Beginning Line Dance. Mondays, March 3rd, 10th, 17th, 24th, & 31st - Intermediate Line Dance.

COMMUNITY & SPONSORED EVENTS

MARCH 2025

Ukuleles Unite: Happy Hour

Open Mic & Singalong

Ukuleles Unite! invites everyone who plays or wants to learn to play the ukulele to come be part of the fun! Even if you don’t play ukulele, you are welcome to come & sing along or just listen if you prefer.

Guidelines for Open Mic Happy Hour:
  1. Sign up upon arrival if you wish to perform.
  2. Solo performers are allowed one song and one singalong song.
  3. Groups can perform up to three songs, with one designated as a singalong.
  4. Bring singalong music for projection.
  5. Kindly maintain quiet & respectful behavior while performers are on stage.

Tuesday, March 4th, 2025
5:00 pm
Admission is free! Quimper Grange is located at 1219 Corona Ave. Port Townsend, WA 98368
Ukuleles Unite also ‘Rendezvous' at the Grace Lutheran Church on 1120 Walker St. in Port Townsend at 1:00-3:00 pm. The next Rendezvous date is March 15th, 2025. For more info, contact George Yount, at (360) 477-5788 or gyount@olypen.com

Grow Your Own Mushrooms!

with Mushroom Cultivator Lowell Dietz


In this long-anticipated presentation, Lowell Dietz will share the process for growing mushrooms at home, indoors or outdoors. He will discuss ideal mediums in which to spread spawn, and the best varieties of wood logs to inoculate.

Mushroom Cultivators Lowell & Audree Dietz are Honorary Lifetime Members of the Kitsap Peninsula Mycological Society and have been growing medicinal and edible oyster mushrooms in Sequim for more than twenty years. A longtime Sequim resident, Lowell’s most recent passion is creating regenerative soil, called “Sequim Terra Peta”. This soil does not need fertilizer; soil tests indicate it becomes more fertile with each crop grown because soil bacteria stash nutrients (normally outgassed by plants) into biochar “lockers”. 

Blue cap oyster mushrooms, pathfinder mushrooms & shirotamagitake growing kits will be available for purchase on site. Dietz Mushroom Farm sells mushroom growing kits for $15 or $25 each. Learn more at www.dietzfarm.com.

Tuesday, March 11th, 2025
6:30 pm
Doors open at 6:15 pm
All Are Welcome

Quimper Grange, 1219 Corona Ave.
Port Townsend, WA 98368

The Grange has ADA access and
an outstanding Merv-13 air filtration system.

Food For Thought is a free monthly presentation addressing anything to do with farming and 'all things food’. in our area. Quimper Grange #720 sponsors this free event as a community service.



Our Third Annual:
DIY Tool Maintenance Clinic


Dust off the dirt, sharpen your shovels, and lubricate your loppers in preparation for the Spring 2025 growing season! Learn to maintain your own tools from seasoned helpers at this hands-on workshop. Wear work clothes and bring gloves. Co-sponsored by your Quimper Grange & Food Bank Growers.

Saturday, March 15th, 2025
10:00 am - 1:00 pm
Admission: Free!

Quimper Grange, 1219 Corona Ave.
Port Townsend, WA 98368

Port Townsend Community Dance!

The March Port Townsend Community Dance will have long time local caller David Thielk on the mic and will be offering a rich selection of squares, contras, and related dance forms. David has been calling for many years throughout the west and is currently working on bringing more contras into his repertoire of active squares, circles, reels, and mixers. Rocking dance tunes will be served live by The Lampshades: Kristin & Otto, Rolf & Lori.


The Port Townsend Community Dance is inspired by traditional kitchen/barn dances and features a mixture of traditional sets, always danced to live music along with a dance caller. All experience levels are welcome; all dances are taught! Come alone, or with a friend, your partner, the family – or the whole village! Admission is $10 per person/$20 per family; however, no one will be turned away at the door. For more information, or if you’re interested in a work trade, please contact Dave Thielk at edavidt@gmail.com or ‪(971) 266-3170‬.

Saturday, March 15th, 2025
7:30 pm - 10:00 pm
Doors open 7:15 pm

Admission: $10 per person/$20 per family,
No One Turned Away!

Please bring your own personal water bottle, & consider arriving on foot or by bicycle if possible!

Quimper Grange
1219 Corona Ave., Port Townsend, WA 98368



George Yount To Host His
Final Harmonica Workshop


George Yount will share his harmonica knowledge, experience, and skills spanning over sixty years teaching from the college level to children in the jungles of Solwezi in Indonesia. 'There is unbelievable joy in that little pocket instrument,' said George when announcing the workshop to Ukuleles Unite. He has taught over four hundred souls since picking up the harmonica at the age of sixteen.

This will be a hands-on program geared for beginner and intermediate levels. Those who consider themselves advanced are more welcome to join in and share their tips.    

Registration is at the door and a suggestion of $10 to cover hall rental. A harmonica in the key of C is required (available at Crossroads Music). Bring a lunch & liquids of choice. Come prepared to meet & play with new friends. The workshop starts 10:00 am and ends at 3:00 pm.  

For more information contact George at gyout@olypen.com • 360-477-5788; or Gary Dill at coltpilot@gmail.com • 360-808-0911.

Saturday, March 22nd, 2025
10:00 am - 3:00 pm
$10 fee

Quimper Grange, 1219 Corona Ave.
Port Townsend, WA 98368

Balkan Dances

Wednesdays, March 12th, 19th, & 26th


Every Wednesday except the first Wed. of the month. No partner needed. 
Evenings start with mellow dances & progress to intermediate. Fast paced & fun! 
Richard & Susi Watson host. 7:00 pm • $5 entry.



Beginning Line Dance Class
No Experience Necessary • Drop-ins Welcome
Every Sunday in March at 1:00 pm
90 minute class • $10 Suggested Donation
For more info: 360-302-0188
vickieltownsend@gmail.com

Intermediate Line Dance Class
This class is not for beginners - one should have some line dance experience before attending.
Every Monday in March at 6:00 pm
90 minute class • $10 Suggested Donation
For more info: 360-302-0188
vickieltownsend@gmail.com

QG FOOD BANK GARDEN NEWS

by Barbara Tusting
Is it Spring yet?

The Grange Food Bank Garden is the only garden of all twelve Food Bank Growers gardens that has consistently grown food over the winter for years. This is mainly due to our three hoop houses that keep the veggies (and us) warmer than the outdoor temperatures. And new this winter were our five raised beds gifted by the Noon Rotary for our “Improving Winter Productivity” grant. In those beds we were able to grow a long-lasting crop of arugula, cabbage, radishes (38#), and carrots (134#!!). We also have an entire bed of over-wintered broccoli tucked away just waiting for spring to start shooting out stems.

We are so pleased to grow throughout the winter for our local Food Banks. In January & February alone, we’ve donated 59# of nutritious greens along with 32# of the carrots (from above-mentioned beds). That’s 91# of freshly grown and harvested vegetables.

Our garden team has gained several members this winter – hardy people who come rain or shine. Can’t wait until summer bean picking to really test their mettle!

Now is the time to start your cool weather crops indoors if you can – all the cole crops (except brussels sprouts), lettuces, and spinach. Also, all Asian greens, snow & snap peas. For the peas, use t.p. tubes that you can plant right into the ground without disturbing the roots.

Our Very Exciting Project this winter is to build another structure in the garden, with many thanks to the Food Coop Farmer’s Fund grant. We are building an All-Accessible raised bed to accommodate planting space for up to three wheelchairs, plus another ninety linear feet for sitting on the edge of the 24” inch high raised beds. We have many volunteers who are not in our 20's or 30's any longer, and people who have problems kneeling down or bending over to work. These beds will be accessible by sitting along the edges on comfortable 8” wide cap rails, or by bringing a chair to the side.

Since we won’t be buying brand new soil to fill the entire bed, we are  installing a ‘hügelkultur’ system in the bottom half. This is a composition of rotting logs and thinner dead branches woven into an interlocking filler. This dead wood will eventually break down and create some luscious, loamy soil with lots of microbial activity. In the meantime, it’ll act as a sponge to help maintain moisture in the bed, and prevent a good amount of downhill runoff.

We are excited to bring this opportunity to more people who may not be able to garden in standard garden beds any longer. We hope to be done with this project by April 1st, just in time to plant many of our summer crops. 




FOOD BANK GROWERS CULTIVATE HOPE AND COMMUNITY RESILIENCE THROUGH SUSTAINABLE GARDENING INITIATIVES



Though there has been a 7% decrease in American farms between 2017-2022, there has also been a steady increase in sustainable and community gardening in America. While the decrease in farms is alarming for our food systems, Food Bank Growers (FBG) are part of the silver lining, donating 100% of the food they grow and glean to food banks, schools, senior centers, volunteers and more. 

Port Townsend-based, they have gardens at every school in Port Townsend, offer all-age-friendly regenerative workshops, and are currently bolstering their Ecological Committee, a branch of FBG focused on nourishing the ties between social and ecological justice. Starting the new year, the organization set a new goal, “To keep growing food for our community, we must also plant hope for the future.”

Bear Belle and Gayle Petrick.
Bear Belle and Gayle Petrick.

FBG adopted its first garden in 2012 at Port Townsend Mountain View Commons; they now have fourteen gardens, including Milly Lierman, Mary Hunt, and Gayle Petrick’s newly adopted regenerative garden at Fairwinds Winery. Inspired by the Fairwinds garden, Lierman, Petrick, and Vice President Bear Belle started the Ecological Committee together. As garden managers, Lierman and Petrick oversee the regenerative practices at the new Fairwinds garden, and the Ecological Committee guides and teaches regenerative practices. Regenerative in this context is a modern word, meaning the action of tending to land beginning with self and soil. It is the act of decolonizing the ecosystem through practices such as no-till, covering plants, hugelkultur beds (German raised beds made from organic material), and perennial gardens. “Regenerative practices prioritize healing the land by starting with the soil and ourselves. By practicing regeneration, we transform disrupted ecosystems into thriving spaces that nourish the land, our communities, and our spirits.” Belle said.

“Pause for a moment. Feel the air you breathe and observe the world around you. The plants exchanging oxygen with you and the water sustaining your body remind you that you belong to this Earth. Across generations, humans have nurtured the land, and now it’s our turn,” Belle said, “By growing gardens in schools, we can cultivate not only food but also stronger, healthier, and more resilient future generations.” 

Each school garden has an FBG garden manager and a school-appointed Garden Co-ordinator who tends and teaches the children. The FBG offers action and resources to the student participants, providing important resources to combat suicide, the second leading cause of death amongst 10-14 year-olds according to the Nation Institute of Mental Health. With massive physical, emotional, and academic benefits to gardening, these school gardens are raising generations of land stewards along the crops– 30% of which are donated to the school’s cafeteria.   

The Food Bank Growers website is full of resources, volunteer opportunities, donations, and maps of all the FBG gardens. You can find everything you need to know here at FoodBankGrowers.org. Support by joining a local garden, connecting with your neighbors, or planting perennial gardens in your yard. 


BECOME A MEMBER  •  RENT  •  DONATE


GRANGE MEMBERSHIP
Support your local Grange! Become a member! Help keep the hall open for community 
events, concerts, dances and rentals! Meetings occur the third Sunday of the month, 3:30 p.m. at the Quimper Grange Hall. Come to meet members and learn about activities, concerts and new projects we’re considering. Download and print our brochure from our website: quimpergrange.com at the Membership Information tab and mail to:

Quimper Grange, 1219 Corona Ave, Port Townsend, WA 98368.

BUILDING RENTAL
Rent our Grange Hall for your event or meeting. We have an excellent air filtration system and a beautiful interior. 

  1. Check our website under “Calendar of Events” to see if the date you want is available.
  2. Email quimpergrange@gmail.com or Call Doug at 360-531-0326.
  3. An orientation to the building will follow for potential renters.  
DONATE
Your support keeps the Grange Hall maintained and open to offer music, dance, community events, and private rentals. Your help also supports the food bank garden with water and electricity bills. Checks made out to “Quimper Grange #720” can be mailed to 1219 Corona Ave, Port Townsend WA 98368.
 
See you at the Quimper Grange!


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