This year the Action Council is proposing the addition of two new partners, Peninsula Food Runners, nominated by Amy and Cal Finch, and There With Care, nominated by Ellen Flamen. They will replace Ada’s Cafe and California Interfaith Power and Light (CIPL).
Each month the Church supports a social justice organization by donating one Sunday’s plate collection to the organization. The UUCPA Action Council reviewed the current program, considered current and proposed causes nominated by congregants, and decided on the below slate of organizations to present to the congregation for approval at the Annual Meeting on April 21.
The Action Council generally prefers organizations that are small and local, and prioritizes those in which a congregant is actively involved. We try to balance the number of partners addressing different issues, such as poverty, anti-racism, environment, etc.
If you have feedback or questions on this Justice Partner slate, please email actioncouncil@uucpa.org, or talk to one of the members of the Action Council: Sally Ahnger (Justice Partner Coordinator), Chris Cassell, Sean Hansen, Edie Keating, or Karen Skold.
Respectfully submitted for consideration by the UUCPA Action Council
Slate of 2024-2025 Justice Partners
Outlet – May
Outlet is a Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and Questioning (LGBTQQ) Youth organization based in Mountain View. As the Peninsula’s only comprehensive LGBTQQ youth organization, it provides services to youth and adults who work with youth, including bilingual Spanish services.
Peninsula Food Runners (new partner) – June
Peninsula Food Runners’ mission is to alleviate hunger and minimize food waste in the San Mateo and Santa Clara counties. Every day, our volunteers pick up and deliver a wide variety of wonderfully prepared and non-prepared surplus food to community organizations that feed their clients in need.
American Muslim Voice (AMV) – July
AMV is a local grassroots, nonviolent, inclusive, civil, immigrant and human rights organization. AMV hosts open houses, peace picnics and peace conventions annually to unite neighbors and strangers alike, including the popular EID celebrations. They also provide the Muslim perspective through teach-in opportunities at schools, colleges, universities, places of worship, and peace conventions.
There With Care (new partner) – August
Their mission is to provide a wide range of thoughtful and fundamental services to families and children during the critical phase of a medical crisis. They serve families referred by medical agencies, by building a network of services and people who ease the burden of life’s day-to-day obligations with compassion and care.
Hotel de Zink – September
Hotel de Zink, a rotating church shelter program run by InnVision, is hosted by UUCPA during September. We offer breakfast, bag lunch, dinner, and a place to sleep for 10 – 15 homeless community members. We recruit volunteers to provide dinner each night as well as funds to cover costs for breakfast and lunch food and supplies.
South Bay Sanctuary Covenant (SBSC) – October
SBSC is an interfaith, non-partisan organization of churches and individuals in the Bay Area. The group is concerned with peace, justice and liberation for the people of Central America and for the refugees who have fled these areas.
Interfaith Movement for Human Integrity (IM4HI) – November
The IM4HI is a statewide organization that connects clergy and people of faith to the work of social justice in Los Angeles County, the San Francisco Bay Area, and the Inland Valleys. Working at the intersection of spirituality and social movements, they mobilize congregations to take a stand on issues of social justice like immigration and mass incarceration, and engage people of faith to develop their own leadership so they can stand up against racism, discrimination and the political challenges of the day.
Acterra – December
Acterra is an organization based in Palo Alto that brings people together to create local solutions for a healthy planet. Current projects serve everyone on the Peninsula through ride & drive events, green at home programs, local environment restoration and maintenance, green business awards programs, lecture series, and other actions.
Onyxx Village Connection (OVC) – January
OVC is a black-led organization that restores the dignity of underserved individuals and families in East Palo Alto and surrounding communities, building consistent personal connections with love. They feed the hungry, eliminate food waste, and connect the community to resources that could improve the quality of their lives. OVC helps the whole person nurture their mind, body and soul by delivering meals, resources and compassion through mobile outreach and partnerships.
Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ) – February
SURJ Sacred Heart Chapter is based in San Jose and is part of a national network of groups and individuals organizing white people for racial justice. There are over 150 SURJ chapters and affiliates nationwide. Through community organizing, mobilizing, and education, SURJ moves white people to act as part of a multi-racial majority for justice, with passion and accountability. Accountability means being in relationship with and taking direction from people of color and working on the issues that matter most to accountability partners, organizations run by people of color.
Heart and Home (H+H) – March
Heart and Home, founded by Stanford students, provides night-time winter shelter for fifteen unhoused women in the general Palo Alto vicinity, and is in its fifth year of being hosted by UUCPA for six weeks each year. Operated by H+H and rotating between Palo Alto houses of faith, the shelter is run by volunteers from the community and Stanford University, and is staffed by trained professionals.
Community Health Awareness Council (CHAC) – April
The Community Health Awareness Council (CHAC) provides mental health services for schools and families in Mountain View, Sunnyvale and Los Altos. In addition to in-school services, they have therapists available for families and children in both English and Spanish. They aim to provide excellent clinical services on a sliding scale that are sensitive to people’s social and cultural background.