818-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, October 12,1985 Farm Women: An organization for Pa. s rural women BY SUZANNE KEENE LITITZ Rural women across the state will be meeting in homes and restaurants Monday to celebrate Farm Women Day. Some will gather for a shared meal, while others will simply convene' for fellowship and celebration. In Cambria County, Farm Women and their husbands will meet at Raystown Lake for a boat ride and fellowship, while one society in York County will meet for breakfast. “There will be an awful lot of Farm Women gathering to observe Farm Women Day,” says State Farm Women President Naomi Bupp. But just what is Farm Women and what do Farm Women do when they meet? The organization began in 1914 when Mrs. Frank Black of Somerset County got together with a group of her friends and neighbors to form the first Farm Women society. “Back then women didn’t get out of the home often,” Naomi ex plains. For them, Farm Women offered an afternoon out of the house and an opportunity to ex change recipes or to work on some handiwork and chat. But even in the beginning Farm Women was much more than simply a social organization. The purposes set out by the first society were to contribute to the power and influence of farm women and the farm home, and to contribute to community activities, Naomi said. Today 3,990 Farm Women form 89 societies in Pennsylvania, a far cry from the handful of neighbors who gathered to form the first group. And, while Farm Women still meet in homes to exchange recipes and leam crafts, the membership and emphasis has changed, Naomi said. “It isn’t that our goals are much different, but our members have changed,” Naomi explains. “It has changed in the sense that young mothers who joined are now older.” " And as the membership has matured, the pace of the meetings and the emphasis of the organization have changed. The older women, who make up the majority of the membership, like more inactive meetings. Getting younger women involved is dif ficult, Naomi stressed, because many work outside the home in addition to many other com mitments. It is the older members who hold the meetings together because they can take time out to attend them, Naomi said. But some younger women, many of them daughters of Farm Women, are starting their own societies and gearing meetings to meet their own active lifestyles. This way, Naomi explains, when the younger societies have family picnics or other family events, the children can play together and the husbands share common interests. Because there are fewer farms today, more and more of the Farm Women membership consists of rural women who do not live on farms. Some of the older mem bers, Naomi said, have retired to the city, but still attend the meetings. New members are always welcome and do not have to meet any special criteria to join, Naomi said. All they need, she continued “is the desire to be part of us.” Ten interested members are needed to form a new Society Naomi said, noting that she will soon be welcoming a new group in her home county of York. With the changes in members and lifestyles, the emphasis on an afternoon out has been replaced by contributions to the community. Pennsylvania Farm Women president Naomi Bupp receives her pin from Marie Baughman, former Farm Women president, during the 1985 Farm Women Convention. On Monday, Farm Women will celebrate Farm Women Day. “We have turned our needlework into things for the county home,” Naomi said, referring to county operated nursing homes. Farm Women devote many, many hours to the community, whether it is by rolling bandages for cancer patients or donating money to the local 4-H center. “The hours of labor given to the cancer society and nursing homes is almost unbelievable,” Naomi said. Every year, Farm Women in each county choose a project that they will contribute to. For example, Naomi said, York County Farm women have selected the 4-H center as their project and they will be making a sizable donation to the center at their upcoming county convention. In Franklin County, Farm Women make kits for the Mont Alto children’s home, and in Berks County, they support Berks Heim, the county home. “Every county has its own things,” she explained. In addition to their efforts in the community, Farm Women give four $5OO scholarships to students majoring in home economics or foods- related careers each year. Twenty cents of the $2.10 mem bership fee goes to the scholarship fund, 90 cents goes to the state, 36 cents to the county and the remainder to the individual society. To keep the organization farm related, Naomi said they hold their state convention during the Pennsylvania Farm Show in January. CaCeu Saturday, October 12 Lancaster Society 19 meets for a program on “Nutrition for People Over 55” by Dons Thomas. Lancaster Society 25 meets for a program to be announced. Lancaster Society 2 meets to elect a new treasurer and plan for 1986. Lancaster Society 1 meets for a crafts program. Tuesday, October 15 Lancaster Society 12 sews for cancer at 9 a.m. Members will pay dues. Lancaster Societj 27 meets to elect Naomi was elected president during last year’s convention, when the group traditionally selects its new officers. During her two-year term as president, Naomi said she would like to see a Farm Women society organized in a county where there aren’t any Farm Women yet. Pennsylvania is the only state in the United States that has Farm Women; seventeen counties in the state have at least one society. This year’s state project, a Farm Women cookbook, is another of Naomi’s ideas. Naomi says when she first thought of a state cook book she did not consider the revenue it will bring in. “I just thought it would be fun to have a state cookbook,’’ she said. But now that the idea has progressed and Farm Women across the state are preparing their recipes, she realizes it will be a major fund raiser. “If this works, we should always have money coming in,” she said. But making money isn’t Naomi’s primary concern. She says, “I’d like to think we’ve made an impact on our farm women." officers, Thursday, October 17 Lancaster Society 15 meets at 1 p.m. for a program on flowers for Christmas. Saturday, October 19 ILancaster Society 3 meets for a program by Charles Achey Jr. called, "Your Handwriting Shows.” Lancaster Society 18 .meets for a program by Dick McMillen of the Water Street Rescue Mission. 1 Lancaster Society 8 meets for an auction See your nearest HOLLAR Dealer for Dependable Equipment and Dependable Service; Annvtlle, PA BHM Farm Equipment Inc RD 1 717 867-2211 Beavertown, PA B&R Farm Equipment, Inc RD 1 Box 217 A 717 658 7024 Belleville. PA Ivan J Zook Farm Equipment Belleville, Pa 717 935 2948 Carlisle. PA Paul Shovers, Inc 35 East Willow Street 717 243 2686 Chambersburg, PA Clugston Implement Inc RD 1 717 263 4103 Oavidsburg, PA George N Gross Inc R D 2 Dover PA 717 292 1673 Elizabethtown, PA Messick Farm Equipment, Inc Rt 283 Rheem'sExit 717 367 1319 Everett, PA C Paul Ford & Son RD 1 814 652 2051 Gettysburg, PA Vmgling Implements R D 9 717 359 4848 Greencastle, PA Meyers Implement’s Inc 400 N Antrim Way P 0 Box 97 717 597 2176 Grove City, PA McDowell Farm Implement Co Rt 173 North 814 786 7955 Halifax. PA Sweigard Bros R D 3 Box 13 717 896 3414 Hamburg, PA Shartlesville Farm Service R D 1 Box 1392 215 488 1025 Honey Brook. PA Dependable Motor Co East Mam Street 215 273-3131 215 273 3737 Honey Grove, PA Norman D Clark & Son,lnc Honey Grove PA 717 734-3682 Hughesville, PA Farnsworth Farm Supplies Inc 103 Cemetery Street 717 584-2106 Lancaster. PA L H Brubaker Inc 350 Strasburg Pike 717 397 5179 Lebanon, PA Keller Bros Tractor Co RD 7 Box 405 717 949 6501 Lititz, PA Roy A Brutjaker 700 Woodcrest Av 717 626 7766 Loysville, PA PaulShovers Inc Loysville PA 717 789 3117 Lynnport, PA KermitK Kistler Inc Lynnport, PA 215 298 2011 Martmsburg, PA Forshey's Inc 110 Forshey St 814 793 3791 Mill Hall. PA Paul A Dotterer RD 1 717 726 3471 New Holland. PA ABC Groff Inc 110 South Railroad 717 354 4191 New Park, PA M&R Equipment Inc PO Box 16 717 993 2511 Oley, PA C J Wonsidler Bros RD 2 215 987 6257 Pitman, PA Marlin W Schretfler Pitman PA 717 648 1120 Quakertown, PA C J Wonsidler Bros RD 1 215 536 1935 Quarryvilic. FA C E Wiley & Son Inc 101 South Lime Street 717 786 2895 Rmgtown, PA Rmgtown Farm Equipment Rmgtown PA 717 889 3184 Silverdale, PA I G Sales Box 149 215 257 5135 Tamaqua. PA CharlesS Snyder Inc R D 3 717 386 5954 Troy, PA Warner Tractor & Equipment Inc Troy PA 717 297 2141 West Chester, PA M S Yearsley & Son 114-116 East Market Street 215 696-2990 West Grove. PA SG Lewis & Son Inc R D 2, Box 66 215-869-2214 Churchville, MD Walter G Coale Inc 2849-53 Churchville Rd 301 734 7722 Washington, NJ Frank Rymon & Sons 201 689 1464 Woodstown, NJ Owen Supply Co Broad Street & East Avenue - 609 769 0308
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers