Food
STRONG MAINE WOMEN: Geri Valentine
Geri Valentine offers weekly Yoga and Chair Yoga classes at the Thankful Room. Written by WHRL Board Member, Ora Aselton Being “from away,” I find it fascinating to ask my fellow transplants what brought them to Maine. But it's not often that the answer is “Sheep!" It...
Wilderness First Aid Registration
WHRL Announces Nursing Scholarship Award
Women for Healthy Rural Living announces the selection of Estrella Paredes as this year’s Elaine Hill Memorial Nursing Scholarship recipient. Estrella is a 2023 graduate of Narraguagus High School. In her junior year, Estrella signed up for the school’s CNA program...
Why I Give: April Norton
April is Vice President of Human Resources for Wyman's of Maine. What are your passions? My passions are all centered around living a good life. Whether it is what I am eating, the information I am absorbing, the people I spend time with, hobbies or the work I do. ...
Why I Give: Janie Snider
Janie Snider, a Milbridge native, is a self-taught artist. Janie earned her teaching degree in elementary education from the University of Maine at Machias and state certification in the Visual Arts. Janie just retired after 30 years of teaching K-8 art in both...
Why I Give: Carla Ganiel
Carla Ganiel is the Learning and Evaluation Officer at the Max and Marian Farash Charitable Foundation and has led evaluation and learning initiatives in the philanthropic and government sectors for more than two decades. Carla is a full-time remote worker based in...
Why I Give: Pam Dyer Stewart
Pammy moved to Downeast Maine in 1982 with her husband and infant son and has lived here ever since. Now retired, she was a homebirth midwife serving the Downeast community for 35 years. She has four grown children and five grandchildren. She and her husband, Brian,...
November 2022 e-Newsletter
A huge thanks to Bar Harbor Bank & Trust for choosing WHRL for their “Casual for a Cause” campaign. Front L to R: Chris Kuhni, Kaylah Doak, Candy Pendleton, Jenna Beal. Back L to R: Catherine McDonald, Andrew Somes, and Jenny Saucier. Save The Date! Upcoming...
A Green Light to Greener Gardening
Why We Switched To Irrigation Visitors to Milbridge Commons may have noticed something new in the gardens—an irrigation system. We have been eager to make this shift for several reasons. We are promoting health. A healthy planet is not something to take for granted;...
Emily Bosley Awarded 2022 Elaine Hill Nursing Scholarship
We are excited to announce Emily Bosley as the 2022 recipient of a $2500 Elaine Hill Memorial Nursing Scholarship. Emily is currently enrolled at the University of Maine Augusta, where she just completed her second semester with a 4.0 GPA. In high school, Emily...
Building a Magical Place to Quiet the Heart
By Francie Shepherd It’s ALMOST spring! I’m so excited, even if it still looks winter-worn here in Milbridge. I see green though, so I know those blooms are coming. How did you weather the winter? I spent it doing a little bit of planning and a lot of shopping! I’ve...
The Face of the Elaine Hill Memorial Scholarship: Eve Rottersman
Eve Rottersman is the 2021 recipient of the Elaine Hill Memorial Nursing Scholarship. Motivated by her grandmother who was a nurse, Eve Rottersman was drawn to healthcare from an early age. She grew up in Naples, Maine and took some time off after high school to...
Registration for “A Midwive’s Tale”
5 Garden Focused Art Projects
“I love spring anywhere, but if I could choose, I would always greet it in a garden.” – Ruth Stout We once again find ourselves in the light of a spring tease. This time of year is plagued by mistrust in Mother Nature. Can it be? Is this random, 55 degree day really a...
Downeast Family Garden Project
Register here for seeds! Our seed collections have a great variety of seeds in them, including bush beans, beets, carrots, chard, cucumber, lettuce, peas, pepper, pumpkin, radish, spinach, tomato, zucchini, edible flowers and herbs. We've prepared all the packets in...
Registration for “Home Now”
All about those Microgreens!
Winter in Downeast Maine can be cold, grey, and usually, not a time to be sowing seeds; however, you can still have a winter garden experience with microgreens. They are seeds of many commonly grown plants that are harvested as soon as they develop their first real...
Planning Ahead
Written By Francie Shepherd It’s winter. That means icicles, frosty windshields, and frozen ground. Do you find yourself dreaming about the upcoming growing season? Thinking nostalgically about worms, pollinators, and next season’s pickles? Me too. I love the quiet...
When Tragedy Strikes Downeast
Christina's greenhouse nowChristina's greenhouse before the fireA few days ago, Christina Ganz lost her greenhouse in a devasting fire. That greenhouse isn’t just her livelihood, it’s her life. Many of you know Christina as the “Posie Lady” the always-smiling woman...
The Face of the Elaine Hill Memorial Scholarship: Lanie Brenton
Returning to further her education and being part of the first nursing cohort at Beal College in Bangor, Lanie Brenton considered herself a “non-traditional” scholarship awardee. She was already raising her family when she decided to expand her career horizons. Lanie...
Five Fun Meals Using Seasonal, Winter Veggies
Written by: Larissa Holland "In seed time learn, in harvest teach, in winter enjoy." – William Blake Let’s face it… no matter how adaptable you are, the winter months test us all. The shorter days paired with extended periods of darkness, the absurdly...