Share the Plate

USG donates the offering one Sunday a month to a charitable organization nominated by a member of the congregation. 

From August to December 2012, generous Share the Plate contributions from members of our congregation have benefited the following non-profit organizations in our community or in our denomination:  Youth Services, Inc., Lingelbach Elementary School, UU United Nations Office, My Place Germantown, UUA Hurricane Disaster Relief, and the Northwest Philadelphia Interfaith Housing Network (NPIHN).

Altogether, we USG members have contributed over $6,000 to these important needs and causes.

Our Task Force is now asking for your help:  First, we are seeking a few new members of our Task Force to continue the work of selecting and promoting nominated organizations. Secondly, we are eager to receive from USG members additional nominations for the months beginning with July 2013.

To nominate a group please fill out the form below, to explore becoming a Share the Plate Task Force member, please email Dennis Brunn, STF Task Force Chair, at dbrunn@verizon.net.  Other Task Force members (Peggy Bruton, Jamie Preston, Gale Gibbons, and Carl Slivak) are also available to talk with prospective members.   

In doing this we are:

• Connecting to something larger than ourselves.
• Acknowledging our interdependence with each other.
• Shifting our congregational outlook to one of abundance rather than scarcity (USG’s weekly average collection has remained the same since we began the program.)
• Strengthening our ties with our neighbors.
• Showing our community that we are the church “of the loving heart, open mind and helping hands” in a very real and tangible way.

The charitable organizations we donate to must meet the following criteria:

• The organization or project must be proposed by a member of USG, preferably one who is not an employee of the organization.
• The organization or project must be non-profit and non-partisan.  We prefer that the organization be incorporated under the 501-c-3 section of the IRS,  but exceptions are possible if other criteria are met.
• The organization or project must address issues of social justice, including but not limited to promoting fair and equal treatment for all;  empowering marginalized communities;  reducing poverty, racism, and homophobia; improving public education; aiding the elderly;  reducing violence; preserving the environment; and promoting community health.
• Proposals meeting the first three criteria will be evaluated and prioritized according to how many of the following questions can be answered positively:
  • Does the organization or project  promote positive change in nearby communities?
  • Does the organization or project already involve USG members or provide opportunities for USG members to become involved as participants?
  • Does the organization or project support UUA  or UUA affiliated initiatives?
  • Does the organization or project provide opportunities for USG to work with other religious organizations in nearby communities?

Recipients have included:
Philadelphia Unemployment Project
Mt. Airy Teachers’ Fund
UU United Nations Office
Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (UUSC)
Rebuilding Together – Philadelphia
People’s Emergency Center 
Cradles to Crayons
Pathways PA
Kenya Medical Education Trust
UUA – Association Sunday
Community Church UU (New Orleans)
First Church New Orleans
New Directions for Women 
Neighborhood Interfaith Movement (NIM)
Habitat for Humanity/Philadelphia
Lingelbach School
Need in Deed
Unitarian Universalist House
Philabundance
Northwest Philadelphia Interfaith Hospitality Network (NPIHN)
Reach Out and Read
UUSC Cyclone Relief 

The Share the Plate Task Force selects the organizations to receive the offering from USG members’ Nomination Forms, and educates the congregation about the organization’s service to the community. 

If you would like to nominate a charity:
You must be a member of USG. Fill in a Nomination Form which are in various places in the church, including the church office, at the link below, and via the embedded online form included here. Send the form to any member of the task force: Chair, Dennis Brunn, Peggy Bruton, Jamie Preston and Gale Gibbons. 

Nomination Form PDF version