The Walpolean

  Food drive drop off  sponsored by the Walpole Congregational Church on Saturday, November 11 from 10-12:30.  Items for Thanksgiving dinner requested:  canned goods, potatoes, squash, onions, stuffing. Monetary donations gladly accepted, checks made payable to The Fall Mountain Food Shelf.

Reminder: GREAT DECISIONS – One Week from Today!

“Famine and Food Insecurity – A Global and Local Challenge”

“Great Decisions” will meet on Monday, October 23, at 6:00 p.m. in the Walpole Town Library. Our topic for discussion is “Famine and Food Insecurity – A Global and Local Challenge.”

We will have two guest speakers, local unsung heroes whose efforts over the years to alleviate hunger and feed the home-bound are truly inspirational. The need is shocking, the volunteer hours astonishing, the ways to assist remarkably easy.  

Suggested reading is the Foreign Policy Association’s article, “Famine: a renewed threat in the 21st century” by Daniel Maxwell, available at the library or via email by contacting Jane Malmberg, Library Director: jmalmberg@walpoletownlibrary.org. Also available at the library is the Master Class on DVD, with which we will begin our meeting. (For those joining via Zoom, please note that we are unable to show the “Master Class” on Zoom, so we suggest you join the meeting at 6:20 p.m.)

The Food and Agriculture Organization (fao.org) of the United Nations has assessed the state of food security and nutrition in the world and revised its previously optimistic predictions. One in three people in the world did not have access to adequate food in 2020, that’s 30% of the world population. “The world is at a critical juncture” is the most recent U.N. report on food security and can be found at this link: https://www.fao.org/state-of-food-security-nutrition/2021/en/

All are welcome to this public forum at 6:00 p.m. on Monday, October 23, either in person in the Hubbard Meeting Room at the Walpole Town Library or via Zoom. For the Zoom link, contact Jane Malmberg in advance of the meeting and please join at 6:20 p.m.: jmalmberg@walpoletownlibrary.org.

Also, don’t forget Walpole’s annual CROP Hunger Walk this Saturday, October 21: Registration starts at 9:00 a.m. in front of the First Congregational Church, the walk begins at 9:30 a.m.

The Walpole Community Giving Tree Project is getting underway again for the 2023 holiday season.
This project helps families provide holiday gifts for their children ages birth-18 (or older if still in high school). Participating families must be residents of the Walpole township (Walpole, North Walpole, and Drewsville).
We are currently receiving requests from families with the help of the local schools. Now we need to get the requests out to potential “shoppers” in the community who would like to help.

PLEASE MARK YOUR CALENDARS: From OCTOBER 20-NOVEMBER 10th only, tags will be available at the following locations during their regular business hours: First Congregational Church (M-F 9-12, go to back door by ramp), the Walpole Library, Spencer’s Place, The Hungry Diner, Savings Bank of Walpole on Westminster St, and Mascoma Bank.
Tags will be attached to a bulletin board. You will fill out your contact information on one half of the perforated tag and leave it in the container. Take the other half of the tag as your “shopping” list, and then attach it very securely to the gift before you return it.
Gifts may be returned to any of the above locations until November 30th. Gifts should NOT BE WRAPPED. We will provide wrapping paper so parents can see what their children will receive and then wrap it themselves.

If you wish to help but do not wish to shop, there are 2 other options. You may choose a tag and leave the whole tag and a donation in an envelope in the tag container, and someone will do the shopping for you. Or, you can just leave a donation to help purchase gifts for tags that are unclaimed. We also hope to provide wrapping paper for the families. Every little bit helps!

This is a wonderful project that helps to brighten the holiday season for many of our local families, and we appreciate everyone’s help!
If you have any questions, you may contact us at weilcloues8808@gmail.com. Happy holidays to you and yours! Please stay safe and healthy!

Jeanne Cloues and Marcia Weil, project organizers
NOTE: You may also mail donations directly to us at 192 Upper Walpole Road, Walpole, NH. 03608. Please be sure to make checks out to Jeanne Cloues and put “Giving Tree” in the memo line. Thank you,

I’ve been advised that pictures of pets, ashes of pets, and even stuffed animals are welcome. – Lil

On Saturday, October 28th from 9:00 am to 12:00 noon, Cub Scout Pack 299 and Boy Scout Troop 299 will be holding their Scouting for Food Drive. We will be handing out information sheets for the annual ‘Scouting for Food Drive’ at the following locations: Walpole Post Office, Walpole Recycling Center, Tractor Supply and Shaw’s.

Then, on  November 4, from 9:00 am to 12:00 noon, we will be at the same locations collecting non-perishable food items (no glass please) and monetary donations. Pet food is also greatly appreciated. All food and monetary donations go directly to the Fall Mountain Food Shelf.

Donations in 2022 included over 1700 items of food and $2300 in cash. 

if you haven’t read The Bear yet, it’s not to late. Pick up your free copy at the library today. – Lil

GREAT DECISIONS on Monday, September 18, 6:00 p.m.

“Climate Change, Environmental Degradation and Migration, plus Extreme-Weather Events and their Local Impact”

“Great Decisions” discussion group will meet next Monday, September 18, at 6:00 p.m. in the Walpole Town Library for an exchange of views on “Climate Change, Environmental Degradation, Migration, Extreme-Weather Events and their Local Impact.”

Tom Sintros, teacher and environmentalist whose work on climate change began over 40 years ago, will moderate. Tom was a founding member of Keene Cities for Climate Change, a Climate Reality presenter for Al Gore, Conservation Commission member, board member at Distant Hill Gardens, and a Christa McAuliffe grant recipient for project P.L.A.C.E. (Public Lands Adoption and Community Education).

Mark Houghton, President of E.E. Houghton Co., Inc., is our guest speaker. Mark is Walpole’s Emergency Management Director, Fire and EMS Chief, Water and Wastewater Department Director. Extreme-weather events disrupted water, power and travel in Walpole this summer, and Mark has the inside-story.

Suggested reading is the Foreign Policy Association’s article “Climate Change, Environmental Degradation, and Migration” by Karen Jacobsen, available at the library or via email by contacting Jane Malmberg, Library Director: jmalmberg@walpoletownlibrary.org. We will begin our meeting with a 20-minute “Master Class.” (For those joining via Zoom, we are unable to show the “Master Class” on Zoom, so we suggest you join the meeting at 6:20 p.m.)

All are welcome to this public forum at 6:00 p.m. on Monday, September 18, either in person in the Hubbard Meeting Room at the Walpole Town Library or via Zoom. For the Zoom link (please join at 6:20 p.m.), contact Jane Malmberg in advance of the meeting: jmalmberg@walpoletownlibrary.org