Country Woman

CELEBRATE``````NEW TAKE``````14 COUNTRY WOMAN COUNTRYWOMANMAGAZINE.COMALMANACJust add tiny sortables from yourworkshop (washers and tacks), yoursewing room (buttons and bobbins)or anywhere else and close thelid for spill-proof storage. They’realso great as seed starters, extracushion in mail parcels or trash bagreinforcers: Put an open carton atthe bottom to stop leaky garbage. Q``````National Volunteer WeekApril 12-Pitch in with millions worldwide asthey celebrate 40 years of helpingout. A grassroots movement likeEarth Day, National VolunteerWeek began in 1974—and it’sbeen growing ever since. About4 million volunteers throughout16 countries participated in 2012alone. Visit pointsoflight.org,where you can search volunteeropportunities by topic and ZIPcode to connect with a cause closeto your home and your heart.``````Muscoda’s MorelMushroom FestivalMay 15-Morel-flavored bratwurst, cheeseand microbrews: Now, that’s a tasteof Wisconsin. The tiny town ofMuscoda knows how to celebratethese prized mushrooms, whichlure thousands of people into thewoods each spring. Before foragingfor your own, learn from pros atMuscoda’s festival about whereand when to look for morels, andhow to identify them. For moreinformation, go to muscoda.com/festivals/muscoda-morel-mushroom-festival.``````For the kids. Many communityactivists come together each year togive back to their schools (top).Give-back mac. Volunteers roll uptheir sleeves and put on food-safegloves to pack mac ’n’ cheese mealkits for local food banks (above).Young helper. Volunteering is an all-ages activity. This girl (right) pitchesin and paints a fence as part of a rivercleanup project.Put these fun events on your to-do list.VOLUNTEERS: POINTS OF LIGHTSpring to ActionEgg CartonsWith a dozen handy littlecompartments, egg cartonsare a natural for organizingsmall items.