Gem City Doves #27

06/11/2026

Good morning! Super easy recipe today! Check out Open Hands Food Pantry for any food needs and try the recipe today 10-2. 💚

Fancy Mashed Potatoes

2 TBSP leek soup mix (or other soup mix of your choosing)
4 cups mashed potatoes (instant or homemade)

1. If making instant potatoes then boil the water and add the soup mix. If making homemade potatoes dissolve the soup mix in a couple tablespoons of hot water.
2. Add the instant potatoes to the water or mix the dissolved soup into homemade potatoes
3. Add desired toppings (butter, chive, sour cream, cheese, etc)
4. Serve and enjoy!

06/06/2026

The weather behaved enough for the Harrison Hills Ice Cream Social with Quincy Neighborhood Federation to be super busy and fun! ☀️

Gem City Doves #27’s booth offered a bean bag toss game to win a variety of prizes. As always, the kids kept a big line for a majority of the evening!

With many other local and personal events going on we were only able to spare one Dove to manage the game. Thankfully, a couple of happy helpers were available 😉.

Thank you all who helped in one way or another for planning/set up/running the event/tear down to put this on for the kids! 🩷💚

06/03/2026

Making a difference doesn't always require grand gestures. Sometimes it starts with a helping hand, a kind heart, and a group of people willing to step up when their community needs them.

At Gem City Doves Lodge #27, we've spent the last two years working to make our community a little brighter. From volunteering with local organizations and supporting families in need to hosting fundraisers and community events, we've seen firsthand how much can be accomplished when people come together with a common purpose.

But our greatest accomplishment isn't measured in dollars raised or events completed—it's the friendships we've built and the sisterhood we've created along the way.

As we continue to grow, we're looking for women who want to make a positive impact, give back to their community, and become part of something bigger than themselves. Whether you're passionate about volunteering, helping others, meeting new friends, or simply looking for a place where you belong, we'd love to meet you.

Join us in making a difference, one act of kindness at a time.

💚🩷 Together we are stronger.
🩷💚 Together we create change.
💚🩷 Together we build community.

If you're interested in learning more about membership with Gem City Doves Lodge #27, send us a message. We'd love to share what we're all about!

05/25/2026

Two years ago, Gem City Doves Lodge #27 began with an idea, a purpose, and a hope of making a difference. Looking back now, it is amazing to see just how far we have come together.
From handing out food to families in need, setting up kids' games and activities, organizing fundraisers, and volunteering alongside multiple organizations, we have poured our hearts into helping raise money, supporting our community, and creating smiles along the way. Every event, every late night of planning, every helping hand, and every moment shared has become part of our story.
But beyond the volunteer hours and community work, we gained something even more meaningful — a sisterhood. A bond that none of us fully realized we needed, but one that has become one of the greatest blessings of this journey. Through challenges, laughter, stress, victories, and everything in between, we have stood beside one another and built something much bigger than a lodge. We built family.

Happy 2nd Anniversary to Rebekah's Gem City Doves Lodge #27. Thank you to every member, every supporter, and everyone who has helped us along the way. Here's to celebrating where we've been and looking forward to all the good we will continue to do together.

We might be small, but we are mighty together,
Stronger through every season and every kind of weather.

Our road to beginning was not easy to pave,
But together we stood strong, together we were brave.

Through struggles and challenges we continued to rise,
With determination and hope shining bright in our eyes.

What started as a vision became so much more,
A sisterhood built deeply at its very core.

Through laughter and tears, side by side we have stayed,
Creating a bond that time cannot fade.

A sisterhood so strong, held together by heart,
One that will be hard for anyone to pull apart.
A.S.

05/21/2026

Super easy and fun recipe today! Open Hands Food Pantry is open 10-2 for your food and pantry needs.

Apple Sauce Cake

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups unsweetened apple sauce
1 box of cake mix
1 can of frosting

Instructions:
1. Mix the dry cake mix and applesauce together in a large bowl. (The batter will be quite thick).
2. Pour the batter into a greased 9" x 13" baking pan and smooth the top.
3. Bake at 350°F for 25–30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
4. Rest until cool, then frost and serve.

05/15/2026

We are mourning with our brother lodge Odd Fellows Lodge Gem City 357 as one of their members is laid to rest today. They presented a beautiful ceremony for the first funeral of their lodge. Michael was a fun and caring man that will be missed by many 💔.

Michael Pontius, 70, of Quincy, IL, passed away at 5:38 a.m. Saturday, May 9, 2026, at Countryside Care Center in Macomb, IL. Born January 9, 1956, in Keokuk, IA, Michael was the son of Donald Gene and Marianna Jean Glover Pontius. Michael grew up in Keokuk, IA and moved to Mt. Sterling, IL in 1968....

05/14/2026

We have a few things to try today at Open Hands Food Pantry

Orange Marmalade

4 oranges
1 1/4 c water
1 1/4 c sugar
1/2 tsp ground ginger (opt)

1. Slice the oranges as thinly as possible. Cut into quarters. Take out the seeds. Wherever the pith (white part) is too thick, you can cut that off.

2. Place a small bowl or plate in the freezer (for testing jam)

3. Places oranges with their juices into a saucepan. Add water, sugar, and ginger

4. Bring to a boil on medium. Once it boils, lower the heat to low.

5. Cook about 40 minutes, stirring o casionally. When the mixture starts to look thick, take off the heat.

6. Put a spoonful on the chilled bowl or plate. If the jam wrinkles when you push it lightly, your marmalade is ready. If not, put it back on for a few more minutes.

Refried Beans

2 c dry pinto beans (if using canned beans, 3 14oz cans. Start at step 5 and use water or vegetable broth instead of cooking liquid)
8 c water
1 white onion, half cut into wedges. Half diced
1 tsp ground cumin
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/8 tsp black pepper
2 T vegetable oil
1/2 tsp garlic powder
2 T lemon or lime juice

1. Sort and rinse beans.

2. Place beans in a large pot and add water, onion wedges, cumin, salt, oregano, and pepper. Bring to a boil. Skim off any foam that rises to the surface.

3. Reduce to low and simmer for 1 hr. Check beans. If not fully render, continue simmering, checking every 15 minutes. Add water to the pot if necessary

4. Place a strainer or colander over a bowl. Drain beans, reserving cooking liquid.

5. Heat oil. Add diced onion and garlic powder and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Stir in beans and reduce to low. Add 1/2 c of the reserved cooking liquid and use a potato masher to mash beans, adding more cooking liquid as necessary (blending optional). Add lime or lemon juice. Taste and add more juice and salt as desired.

We had Lentil Tacos here a few weeks ago but they were so popular we brought them again. You can find the recipe further down our page

05/07/2026

Today’s recipe to try at Open Hands Food Pantry works for so many fruits!

Applesauce Fruit Leather (Oven Method)

Ingredients
2 cups unsweetened applesauce
1–2 tablespoons honey or sugar (optional)
1 teaspoon lemon juice (optional, helps flavor and color)
Optional add-ins:
Cinnamon
Strawberry puree
Peach puree
Vanilla extract

Supplies
Baking sheet or jelly roll pan
Parchment paper
Spatula

Instructions
Preheat oven to 170–200°F (or the lowest setting your oven allows).
Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a bowl, mix:
applesauce
sweetener (if using)
lemon juice
any optional flavors
Pour mixture onto the parchment-lined pan.
Spread evenly to about 1/8 inch thick.
Try to keep it even so it dries uniformly.
Bake for 4–8 hours depending on thickness and oven temperature.
Fruit leather is done when:
surface is dry
it is slightly tacky but not wet
it peels easily from the parchment
Let cool completely.
Cut into strips with scissors or a pizza cutter.
Roll strips in parchment paper for storage.

Storage
Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week at room temperature.
Refrigerate for longer freshness.

05/02/2026

Noah Smith with the River Rats IL is here until 6 pm!

05/02/2026

Here til 6 with some beautiful music and fun vendors! Gregory leaves in an hour and our second artist will play til we close.