Share the Plate

For January 2012, our "Share the Plate" efforts will support the Martin Luther King Day of Service activities at USG on January 16.  On that day we will be a hub for service activities in the Northwest section of Philadelphia.  Visitors to the church will have a quick breakfast and inspiring worship service before beginning their service activities out in the community. For the volunteers who stay at the church there will be an opportunity for children's activities, making lunches and breakfast bags, and doing doing advocacy work.  In recent years we have had close to 400 people involved.

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

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, and at the link below. Send the form to any member of the task force: Chair, Dennis Brunn, Peggy Bruton, Jamie Preston and Gale Gibbons. 

Nomination Form