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HOLDEN, Mass. — Holden Grange served a meatloaf supper to more than 100 people from Holden and the surrounding towns on Oct. 6, and the auction that followed helped raise $1,500 for the Wachusett Food Pantry.
Throughout the year, the Holden Grange holds a variety of fund-raisers, from the Chowder Fest and Peach Festival at Holden Days to the popular Harvest Dinner and auction in the fall.
Last year's proceeds of $1,160 were vital to the food pantry in its efforts to provide emergency food to more than 314 Wachusett-area families throughout 2012, and this year's well-attended supper allowed the Grange to raise even more funds.
Grange member Orrin Mason auctioned off home-grown or home-baked items donated by Grange members and neighbors, explained Grange Secretary Janet Segur.
The Grange is a non-profit, non-partisan organization based in more than 2,100 towns across America, and Segur has been part of the Holden Grange for 42 years, joining as soon as she was able at 14.
"I had three older siblings, and I couldn't wait until I was 14," she said. "They were always going off on Monday nights and my mother would stay home with me, so I couldn't wait to join.
Segur said that Holden Grange has grown in recent years, creating a core group of members willing to help organize the organization's many events and projects.
On the second Saturday of each month, for instance, the Grange holds a pitch party at the Holden Senior Center, and on Memorial Day, Grange “In Memoriam” flags are placed on the graves of former members in five cemeteries in the local area.
Additionally, the group is putting together its 15th Community Calendar this year as a service project for Holden, and at 6 p.m. on Nov. 10 they will hold the Holden Pot Luck Supper for veterans.
To learn more about the Holden Grange and upcoming events, visit www.grange.org/holdenma78/
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