NEWSLETTER February 2026

Hello everyone and welcome to a brand new month! Where January went

is beyond me. Our first two food events of the year were mostly successful

with the white chicken chili and beef stroganoff seemingly big hits and

thanks for all the wonderful compliments we received! We can look forward

to chicken enchiladas, our annual pancake breakfast and always a crowd

favorite…pulled pork sandwiches for this month.

Some of you may know that the Board is considering initiating an FMSC

Patronage program to help us with steadying our budget. I’ve spoken to a

few people to feel them out about the idea as well as to the Board.

Because we have always been a membership dues driven organization it

has been difficult over the last few years to develop and stick to a working

budget. Memberships are down, donations, although always appreciated,

are not consistent in either amounts or frequency. With the bond failing,

there are many things we would like to purchase to help with the growing

number of items that need attention at the Center. We are currently

awaiting center management to select new dining room and classroom

chairs. This will be an expense of somewhere between $8000 to $12000

dollars. These will be purchased outright by the Friends. Other things we

have addressed that need attention are new lighting, kitchen floor

replacement, electronic reader board to name a few.

Having a steady income stream will allow us to prioritize and make

decisions based on what we will have to work with not what we hope might

trickle in month to month. If you think you might be interested in becoming

a patron, please request more information. We should have a pamphlet

available soon.

First Federal customers…ATTENTION! The 2026 Customer Ballots will

be out this month. First Federal customers have the opportunity to be a part

of their yearly charitable donation of $50,000 by deciding on which

organization they may favor. The Friends (FMSC) will have to receive a

minimum of 10 nominations to even be considered so please keep us in

mind when you fill out your forms!

That’s it for now! Happy Valentine’s Day to all! Love is in the air and we

need all that we can muster these days!

Karen O.