Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto

From Rev. Eva

November 30, 2007
Rev. Eva Českava

So. How are your guests faring? You know, the ones at your table in that little box. Did they get fed a little extra on Thanksgiving Day?

For many of us, these “Guest At Your Table” boxes from the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee are old friends and have been around during the holidays year after year since 1975. Their idea is simple: we treat the box as we would a guest, but feed it money instead of turkey and cranberries. From a quarter to a dollar a meal, the days between November 18 and January 13 can bring a nice total when we return the boxes to church.

From Romania to Darfur to New Orleans, the UUSC puts our faith into action. Begun in May 1940 as a rescue and relief mission for refugees in Nazi-invaded Europe, our Service Committee is wherever in the world human need is greatest. Wherever there is need the UUSC proclaims that the path to peace is through justice, the path to dignity is through human rights. Much of the work of the UUSC is international. They partner with community-based efforts to provide safe, accessible drinking water in areas of South America, Africa, Asia and the United States. They support relief efforts after hurricanes, earthquakes, wildfires (!) and famines. Another international focus supports the rights of women and children who work in conditions that most of us can only imagine. The UUSC works to change people’s lives. For more, check out the UUSC website.

I know none of us needs to be convinced that there is real need in the world. Putting money into one of these boxes — whether it’s a few dollars or a few coins — every time you sit down to eat is more than an act of generosity. It is an act of hospitality. Just as we would not ignore a guest in our home, we don’t forget the little box on our table. And come January 13, if you decide to keep the coins and write a check, consider making it for a generous amount. Every donation of $100 is matched dollar for dollar by the UU Church of Shelter Rock, thus doubling your donation.

This Christmas, my relatives will receive gifts from me in their name to the Service Committee. Only one of them is a UU (my daughter), and I know that my siblings and extended family will not miss another doodad or tchotchke. Everyone benefits, including our guests represented by those little boxes.