COLLINSVILLE, Ohio — Not everyone knows how to properly dispose of a U.S. flag that is tattered. Beverely Foutz, an active member of the Collinsville Grange, decided there was a need for education on flag disposal in her community and that the community needed a place to put their worn out flags. 

The Grange came up with the idea of a large parcel box where people could leave their flags and the Grange would then dispose of them via burning. This idea won the Collinsville Grange the Ohio Grange Spotlight on Service Award. They received the award at the 151st Annual Session of the Ohio State Grange held recently in Dublin, Ohio.

“It started last February,” Foutz said. “We don’t have much money in our Grange so we applied for a grant from Butler Rural Electric Company. We had been investigating this project for over a year.”

The parcel postal box was perfect because it was tall enough and it was easy for people to put a flag in, Foutz said. But they couldn’t find one. They finally found a box online, about the same size. After finding the box they then needed graphics to decorate it. 

“One of our members, Mary Jane Dengler, found a man in Somerville, Jay Hammond, owner of  Luxurious Wraps,” Foutz said. “He was a local person and a part of Milford Township, the original home of Collinsville Grange. 

“So he took the box and at fair time when we picked it up - it was beautiful. Beyond what I anticipated,” Foutz said.

The box was on display in the Grange booth at the Butler County Fair. The members explained that it would be permanently installed at the Collinsville Community Center. Periodically the Grange would have a ceremonial flag burning. 

“I don’t think young people are learning respect for the flag,” Foutz said. “That you don’t just throw it in the garbage. So part of the project is, when we burn these flags, we would like to invite some young people, FFA, 4-H, Scout groups, and have them see how you take care of this.”

At the end of August, the Grange members installed the box at the Community Center. 

“About a month later I went to check on it and it had 29 flags in it,” Foutz said. “I was surprised and realized this was a needed thing.”

Foutz checked online to see what a flag-burning ceremony might look like. Based on that, she made up a ceremony for the group. They had some poetry, talked about flags and what they meant, and then burned them in a barrel.

“We have had close to 100 flags donated,” Foutz said. “I think people from all over are bringing them in as they learn about it.”

“I think everybody agreed this turned out better than we thought it would,” Foutz said.

Added Kevin Evans, The Ohio Grange director of community service: “It was a unique project and was chosen from the different Grange projects.”

The Grange is an agricultural-based, grassroots organization. Founded after the Civil War in 1867, it is the oldest American agricultural advocacy group with a national scope.