The Bethlehem Grange has changed its mission to one of community service, according to the Grange’s master, Carol Carpenter.

“There’s not enough farmers,” said Carpenter.

This is true across America. The Grange — officially known as The National Grange of the Order of Patrons of Husbandry — was founded after the Civil War and was a powerful force for farmers when over a third of the population farmed; now fewer than 2 percent of Americans are farmers. The number of Grange members fell 40 percent nationwide between 1992 and 2007.

The Bethlehem Grange has 54 members on its roster, Carpenter said, but just 15 or 20 of those are active.

Carpenter, who works in real estate, is 66; she is among the youngest members. “Most of the members are in their 80s or 90s,” she said.

The members meet on the fourth Tuesday and hold monthly dinners in the spring and summer. Anyone interested in joining may call the membership chairwoman, Caroline Wirth, at 424-5953.

The Bethlehem Grange celebrated its 142nd anniversary on April 17 and its hall is on the National Register of Historic Places, Carpenter said. But it needs a new roof, and the ramp that makes it accessible to handicapped members needs staining, she said.

A total of $35,000 is needed to complete the projects.  The Grange holds an annual rummage sale, which is its chief fundraiser; it runs for two consecutive spring weekends. The sale started last weekend and will run again this Friday, May 27, and Saturday, May 28, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. both days. The sale is held at the Grange hall, at 24 Bridge Street, one-tenth of mile from Route 9W in Selkirk.

“We usually make $1,500 to $2,000 the first day,” said Carpenter. “Last week, for both days, we made just $500. We’re in deep doggie doo-doo.”

In its heydey, the National Grange succeeded in lobbying for free rural mail delivery, the Cooperative Extension Service, and the Farm Credit System.

Now, at the Bethlehem Grange, the focus is not on agricultural issues but community service.

The members have collected Caps of Love, which buys wheelchairs for children; Box Tops for Education; aluminum can tabs for the Shriners Hospital; and medicine bottles for Malawi. “They were handing out pills on pieces of paper,” said Carpenter.

In the past, the group had also supplied a dictionary for each third-grader in the local school. “This year, the principal didn’t want them,” said Carpenter.

To sustain itself, the Grange rents out space, which includes a kitchen and large dining hall. It can be rented for a single event or for a series of days “like for teaching yoga or an exercise group,” said Carpenter. Anyone seeking more information may call Carpenter at 421-1384.

“The karate classes upstairs are saving our neck,” she concluded.