Social Justice at UUFB

During the course of every year we work at the local, national and international levels and choose projects that reflect our strategic plan. 

The members of UUFB are individually involved in many community activities and often they are mentioned in the Social Justice moment in the Sunday service so that others might participate.  Examples of this include Thumbs Up, Angel Ministries and the AAUW book drive.

ONGOING SOCIAL JUSTICE PROJECTS OF UUFB:

• Laura Towne Scholarship for high school seniors– We work with the guidance counselors in the schools asking for Essays (500 words or more) to be submitted. Each year the winning essay will be printed in our church newsletter and read at a Sunday service.  The scholarship will be awarded at the school awards ceremony.
•  Family Promise – a number of members of the congregation have been involved  in the organizing meetings for this inter-faith program to help homeless families in our area.  We have made a $1000 donation to help the program get started. UUFB is a supporting congregation and paired with another church which has the space to house homeless families.  UUFB is responsible for helping to provide meals, stay overnight at times and other ways to help. 
• Marshview Organic Community Farm – this St. Helena program for youth  teaches young people (8-14) about good nutrition and they raise organic food and manage the enterprise.  The food is sold locally and the youth receive credits toward a scholarship savings account based on the number of hours they put in.  During the growing season, the kids work after school and extensively in the summer.  UUFB provided seed money, helped get  SC and federal designations as a non-profit and developed fundraising events.
• HELP Sunday – The first Sunday of each month, donations of food and clothing are collected for HELP of Beaufort, a non-profit that helps feed and clothe people in the Beaufort community.
• Fifth Sunday collections – There are four “Fifth Sundays” in the calendar year.  The social justice committee designates each one of them for our offering at the Sunday service.  
• Support for racial equality – UUFB participates in the Martin Luther King Day parade and in the November Heritage Days at Penn Center.  For the past two years we have committed monies for two tables at the Penn Center Gala fundraising event in May.   The Penn Center event corresponds with the congregations birthday celebration of Laura Towne, a Unitarian who is a co-founder of Penn School in 1862. 
• KIVA –we have invested in microenterprise projects in the developing world.  This is a revolving loan program so money is being paid back regularly. 
• New Year’s Day Peace Vigil – This witness for peace is well-attended and led by our minister. The vigil has been held for many years and recalls the names of each military man or woman who has died since the beginning of the Iraq war.