Past Charitable Activities

Families Helping Families 2021!

These gifts sponsor two in-need families through the Palmetto Project.  The families they serve are referred by social service organizations as having special needs beyond their staff’s ability to help. Find out more at FHFMidlands.org.  

Thanks for your love and generosity from the Social Action Committee! Your contributions made our yearly Families Helping Families (FHF) project was an overwhelming successes. The two FHF single parents will experience the joy of providing their children with an unforgettable holiday. In addition to the presents, your financial donations provided each parent with $60 and a $200 gift certificate. Thank you UUCC!  Contact socialaction@uucolumbia.org.

Guest at Your Table November 2021

It is once again time for the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (UUSC) annual celebration of giving to Guest at Your Table. Be watching for special speakers and opportunities for giving at our November services as we learn of the projects that UUSC is promoting this year.

Guest at Your Table (GAYT) is UUSC’s annual intergenerational program to raise
support for and awareness about key human rights issues. Since UUSC works in more than 20 countries, with over 50 grassroots partners, there are thousands of individuals involved in and who benefit from the work that our members make possible. The program is an opportunity to celebrate grassroots partnership, support human rights, and learn about just four of these individuals – the “guests” in Guest at Your Table. Find out more about UUSC and GAYT here:  https://www.uusc.org/

UUSC Guest at Your Table and Families Helping Families Update

Thanks for your love and generosity from the Social Action Committee! Your contributions made our yearly Guest at Your Table (GAYT) was an overwhelming successes. UUCC will be sending over $1,000 as our 2021 GAYT contribution to the world-wide projects of the UUSC.  Thank you UUCC!  Contact socialaction@uucolumbia.org.

Families Helping Families Winter 2019

On Monday we were able to deliver over 80 gifts, including two bikes, to the FHF warehouse.  A big thank you to those who made it possible including Bonnie Stronach, Beverly Brown, Jeanette Walton, Jean Harris, Patty Drews, Kerry Lachance, Connie Quirk, Bill Dolley, and a special thank you to our little Santa’s helper, Morgan!

Thank you!

We enjoy supporting Families Helping Families each holiday season, but it's always nice to hear that your gifts were appreciated.  Click on the image to be able to read the letter.

Nov 10, 2019: Guest at Your Table Potluck Fundraiser a Huge Success!

Thanks so much to everyone who helped set up, clean up, cook delicious dishes, helped with the service, including Rev. Michelle's excellent sermon, and of course, everyone who donated.  At the end of the day we had made over $1200 to be donated to the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee, and there were several people who still planned to make donations.  Everyone's help is much appreciated, and we could have never pulled it off without everyone involved.  A great success for our congregation! If you'd like more information about UUSC, please visit UUSC.org.

Harvest Hope Volunteer Day: Sat, Oct 26, 2019

We packed up boxes for the Senior Feeding Program at Harvest Hope Food Bank.  It's always hard work, but we are glad we can help in the warehouse.

 

Harvest Hope Volunteer Day: Sat, Aug 3rd

Thanks so much to our volunteers that showed up to help Harvest Hope Food Bank this weekend. They did a great job of representing the UUs! Thanks to Joan, Beverly, Jeanette, David, Ginny, Jim, Ceren, Charlie, and Kathy!

Seeds of Hope Summer 2019

We had another successful year helping Farmer Reed earn extra money.  This year we sold $540 worth of fresh fruits and vegetables and charmed all the neighbors.  Look for us again next summer with a new tent to provide extra shade.  Thanks so much to Bauer and our volunteers.  We couldn't do this without them!

NAMI Walks: Sat, May 4, 2019

NAMI (the National Alliance on Mental Illness) provides support, education, and advocacy to hundreds of thousands of families, individuals, educators, mental health service providers, and law enforcement professionals each year. We walked and raised $385 to support this great cause.  There's still time to support our team here: http://bit.ly/UUCC-NAMI

Families Helping Families: 2018

This year we again sponsored four needy families and were able to collect 100% of their requested gifts.  Thanks so much to Jeanette, Bonnie, Patty, Beverly, and Anne who helped pull this all together.  Here's a picture of the FHF warehouse where we dropped off the gifts. Find out more about Families Helping Families.

 

Harvest Hope Volunteer Day: Nov 3, 2018

14 of us showed up early Saturday morning to pack boxes for Harvest Hope Food Bank.  It was hard work, but a great cause!  Thanks so much to all those who came out to help. Thanks to Joan for organizing this volunteer day!

Pictured here from left to right, Beverly B, Anne M. , Cheryl S. April D, Pat M., Ceren F., Jeanette W., Tom C., Connie Q., Tom M., Joan W., and in the front row, Laura H. and Bob W.

 

 

Seeds of Hope Summer 2018

Our annual fresh market stand in front of the church is a nice project that sponsors low income farmers, and is a great treat for us with fresh produce available each Sunday right at our front door!

 

Harvest Hope Volunteer Day: Sat, May 12, 2018

We are helped at the following post offices to help with Letter Carrier’s Stamp Out Hunger Day,  Cayce, Dutch Fork, Leesburg, Northeast, and Forest Acres. This is a national event where the actual mail carriers pick up food on their delivery routes and bring it back to the local post offices. We station about 3 or 4 volunteers per site to work from approx 2-6pm to help bring in bags of canned food from the postal trucks.  Find out more about the Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive here.

Below is the pounds of food collected from each location.

Leesburg = 7,187 – UUCC volunteers
Northeast = 7,466 – UUCC volunteers
Forest Acres = 5,539 – UUCC volunteers
Dutch Fork = 10,677 – UUCC volunteers
Assembly = 25,265 – United Way/YLS volunteers
Cayce = 18,227 – UUCC Volunteers
Total for all branches = 74,361

We are up from last year by 7,506!

Photo creds to Beck Sullivan. Click on images to see bigger.

 

Walk A Mile In Their Shoes: Thurs, April 12, 2018

Walk A Mile In Their Shoes is a community coming together to support Sexual Trauma Services of the Midlands, its mission, and the survivors we know and love. It is impossible to not know someone who has been impacted by sexual violence, even if you have not been told. Get more info here: https://www.walkamilesc.com

NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) Walk
On Sat, April 7th, we helped stomp out the stigma of mental illness by waking with NAMI. We had a great time and were so excited to raise over $700 towards this great cause!  Hope to see even more people and more money next year.  You can still donate through the end of April here: http://bit.ly/UU-NAMI
NAMI Walk
Congaree Riverkeeper MLK Day of Service Cleanup
On Monday, January 15th, we joined the Congaree Riverkeepers to clean up Smith Branch, a tributary to the Broad River and collected over 1000 pounds of trash!  More info.
Holiday Crafts at Family Shelter
On Saturday, December 9th, 2017, we went to Family Shelter to help the families decorate a Christmas tree and create holiday crafts.  We came with snacks and smiles and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves.  We hope to do this again next year.
Families Helping Families 2017
We participate in the popular Families Helping Families campaign to give Christmas to families in need. This project is the well-known annual WIS and Palmetto Project that we have participated in as a congregation for the last seven years. These families, which have been vetted for need, don’t have much of a Christmas without help from the community.
Thanks to all of you 2017 has been another big success for UUCC and Families Helping Families. The Social Action Team did a great job of organizing this program once again and reaching a 100% goal of providing all of the gift suggestions for the four families that we were assigned. We were able to give bikes, scooters, electronic games, books, dolls, lots of much needed clothing and shoes, pots and pans and household items, and that special item of a $60 gift card for groceries for each family. Your generosity is amazing and you know you have helped to make a Happy Holiday for someone who would have gone without. Thanks very much! Read more about Families Helping Families.
Big Thanks to Harvest Hope Volunteers
Saturday, October 7, UUCC had a group of 18 volunteer at Harvest Hope to assigned tasks. This was very likely the largest group of volunteers we have ever sent. There were other groups there that were very impressed with the size and the energy of our folks. They finished one task and because of their size and efficiency they were able to go on to another. This is one of the services that our Social Action Committee provides to Harvest Hope each year; others being the collection and delivery of groceries and also as a recipient of Share the Plate when they are selected. This is just one of the many ways UUCC reaches out to the local community to help others in need. The Social Action Committee is very grateful to those who participated Saturday with Ginny Verne as their leader.

Jim Verne, Cheryl Soehl, Anne Mellen, Jeanette Walton, Janae Walton, Bob Whitaker, Caroline Causey, Karen Randall, Joan Watterson, Patty Drews, Suzanne Smith, Brittany Smith, Chrissy Dingledine, Cate Dingledine, James DuPlessis, Ceren Farr and Connie Quirk.

NAMI Walk

NAMI WalkNational Alliance on Mental Illness On April 1st we walked in Finlay Park with our UUCC banner with many wearing Standing on the Side of Love Shirts. We raised $540 for the charity. We have supported this event several years in a row.

Harvest Hope

Harvest Hope VolunteersUUCC volunteers served at Harvest Hope on a Saturday morning working side by side with other organizations packing Senior Boxes to help with the many needs of this important Food Bank of the Columbia area. Pictured are several of our Social Action Committee members who willingly give of their time to help others. 2016.

 

Seeds of Hope Summer 2017

The Seeds of Hope project is an annual project in which UUCC sponsors a fresh market stand in front of the church Farmer's Market Bannerbeginning each Sunday from mid-June through mid-August. Last summer we broke our sales record by selling $1500 worth of produce for Farmer Louis Reid who has become well known to us over the years as the farmer that has supplied us with the fresh fruits and vegetables. The market is a nice invitation to the community as they are out on Sunday morning walks to stop by and pick up fresh produce from the smiling faces of the volunteers that assist for the UUCC Seeds of Hope.