ALUUC Social Action Committee and Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (UUSC) Updates

ALUUC Social Action Committee and Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (UUSC) Updates

Fair Trade Products
Thanks to those ALUUC members and friends who purchased Fair Trade products in December. The ALUUC Social Action Committee (SAC) will be selling Fair Trade products (coffee, teas, cocoa, and chocolate bars) the second Sunday of each month. The purchase of fair trade goods through the UUSC Coffee Project benefits agricultural cooperatives through UUSC’s Small Farmer Fund. The UUSC Coffee Project is collaboration between the UUSC and Equal Exchange, a worker-owned, fair trade, company based in West Bridgewater, MA. UUs have the highest participation rate of any denomination in Equal Exchange’s Interfaith Program!
Coffee from the UUSC Coffee Project is now being served on Sundays, following the service. Next sale date – February 12.

Change for Change
Thanks to the generosity of ALUUC members and friends, money was collected for the Central Illinois Foodbank. The Social Action Committee has selected the Animal Protective League. For over 50 years, the Animal Protective League (APL) has been the voice for animals in Springfield and Sangamon County. APL operates a shelter for sick, injured, abused and abandoned dogs and cats, along with comprehensive animal-welfare programs. APL is a private, not-for-profit organization. It operates entirely by donations. APL strives to match animals with carefully screened, loving, permanent owners. APL also develops programs, participates in many events and offers services of benefit to our community. Programs include: weekly visits to residents in area nursing homes and “APL Paws to Read” reading enhancement program in Springfield schools.

Springfield Overflow Shelter
Once again this year the Social Action Committee will provide a meal at the Springfield Overflow Shelter (SOS) one evening a month.  The evening chosen for ALUUC will again be the first Sunday of each month, November through March.  The dates are February 5 and March 4.  Past workers and new volunteers are welcome to join us in serving the meals on these nights.  If you are interested in participating, please contact Delinda Chapman, SOS Coordinator, by phone or email.  If there are volunteers who would like to provide desserts each of these Sundays, please see Delinda to make these arrangements. Whatever gifts we give be it time or money or desserts is most appreciated.

A huge thank you is due not only the SOS server volunteers, but ALUUC’s Simple Elegance Supper Club and Detective Agency Covenant Group who made the meal for the SOS women and men a real treat for New Year’s Day. Members who contributed to the planning shopping and preparation are Susan Solon, Greg Greeley, Nancy Standen, Vickie Locke, Jodi Perko, Peggy Fenley, Pat Goller, Will Burpee and Randy Pratt. The servers who not only served but cut meat, hauled food, set up and down, and washed pans afterwards were Meg Evans and Pete Lazare, Vinnie Gupta, Mary Beaumont, Jim Custer, Tom Vaught, Debby Hagen and Delinda Chapman.  The meal of ham, black-eyed peas and rice, cornbread, coleslaw, and apple crisp was a huge success and much appreciated.  Another big thank you to all those who have donated to cover the cost of doing service.  Happy New Year to all! Next meal will be served on February 5.

ALUUC Annual Glove, Mitten, Hat and Scarf Tree
Thanks so much to everyone who donated items to Contact Ministries for their Christmas Assistance Giveaway Program.  Our congregation donated gloves, mittens, hats, scares and funds to support this worthwhile program.  Your generosity was much appreciated!

Action and Support for Immigrants (ASI)
ASI was born as a response to a family in crisis facing deportation and with the hope to help others in need. As part of this work, we would like to invite you to participate in our upcoming meeting to discuss immigrant related topics and as well as how you could support the organization by becoming a member, proving resources or simply by participating as part of our community. For more information contact Diane or Claudia Fabian.

Dine Out With Your Values In Mind
Restaurant Opportunities Center (ROC), a UUSC partner organization, has released the ROC National Diners’ Guide 2012: A Consumer Guide on the Working Conditions of American Restaurants. Click here to download the guide and use it to choose compassionate consumption when you dine out!

With the launch of our Choose Compassionate Consumption campaign this fall, UUSC supporters joined together to form a powerful consumer advocacy block. Let’s use our power to make a positive difference in the lives of restaurant workers, by making our dining choices based on how restaurants treat their employees.

International Women’s Day
Violence against women — one of the most pervasive violations of human rights — affects women’s abilities to achieve legal, social, political, and economic equality. As we work with partners around the world to protect women, we need your help to ensure that U.S. policy makers are doing their part! The original U.N. resolution for the day to end violence against women calls for the full implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). UUSC invites you to order free women’s rights postcards to use in gathering signatures in support of CEDAW, as well as free buttons and stickers to raise awareness.

We have the goal to collect 3,000 signed postcards by February 15 to be delivered to Senator John Kerry’s office on International Women’s Day, March 8, 2012. Order your materials today and share them with your community.

We Are One: Crossing Borders as UUs
In preparation for “Justice General Assembly” in Phoenix, Ariz., (June 20–24, 2012) the Unitarian Universalist Association’s (UUA’s) Faith Without Borders program (FWB), and UUSC have jointly organized opportunities for service-learning trips to the U.S./Mexico border with our partner organization, BorderLinks.

All Unitarian Universalists over 16 years of age are invited! For more information: http://www.uua.org/international/engagement/travel/190290.shtml

Trip dates: April 20-23, 2012 – Application deadline: March 10
Trip dates: May 25-28, 2012 – Application deadline: April 10

To register contact Eric Cherry, in the UUA’s International Office, by e-mail at echerry@uua.org.

Join the Social Action Committee
Social Action Committee Members include Bernie Carver, Deborah Cavanaugh-Grant, Delinda Chapman, Peggy Finley, Pat Fletcher, Vinnie Gupta, Linda Sievert Haynes, Doug Liberati, Teresa Liberati, Vicki Lock (UUSC Local Rep), John Malan, Sally Millichamp, Neha Patel-Dunkirk, Michael Plog (Board Committee Liaison) and Susan Solon. 
If you are interested in becoming a member of the ALUUC Social Action Committee, contact Deborah at SAC@ALUUC.org or Board Liaison Michael Plog.

Download the ALUUC-Social-Action-Committee-Annual-Report-July-2010-June-2011