NEW GLOUCESTER – The Grange supports the Dictionary Project through its Words for Thirds program. Through the efforts of a network of more than 300,000 members, America’s oldest rural and agricultural organization has presented third-grade students across the nation with more than 100,000 dictionaries.

That number grew when Sabbathday Lake Grange presented dictionaries to the third-grade students at the Dunn School on Jan. 21. Money for the dictionaries was raised through raffle tickets sold at monthly public suppers.

“It is amazing to see the smiles on the children’s faces when we present them with dictionaries,” said Steven Haycock, Sabbathday Lake Grange master. “It gives them a sense of pride when they have a dictionary to look up words on their own. It promotes learning and helps mold their self-confidence and independence.”

The Grange, headquartered in Washington, D.C., partnered with The Dictionary Project, a nonprofit organization, in 2002. The goal is to assist third-grade students complete their school years as good writers, active readers and creative thinkers by providing them with their own personal dictionaries. The organization has presented more then 1.8 million children with dictionaries.