Share the Plate Ballot Results for 2025!

The voting is complete for the 2025 Share the Plate recipients. The Social Action Committee thanks everyone who voted this year with a total of 41 completed ballots being received. Below are the results for the eleven categories showing the new recipients for 2025. Thanks to our congregation’s

generosity, we have donated over $141,775 in Share the Plate contributions to community charities since 2011. Thank you for your participation in this program.

2023 SHARE THE PLATE COLLECTIONS TOTALS

Thanks to the generous giving by UUCC members and friends, we have steadily increased our collections for Share the Plate even during these challenging years of change. UUCC donates half of our cash collections each month to local outside charities or social justice organizations chosen by you. During the first challenging year of the pandemic 2020, we collected $7,718.08 for our Share the Plate recipients, in 2021 $8,088, in 2022 $8,805, and this year the total was $10,075! Over the last twelve years Share the Plate has given a total of $136,366 to our recipients. This also means our General Fund has benefited from this offering as stipulated by the policy. Share the Plate is definitely a win-win program, and the Social Action Committee continues to thank the generosity of our community for recognizing the importance of this vital program. 

What is Share the Plate?

Share the Plate is a community outreach project that reflects the UUCC social justice philosophy. By donating one half of our Sunday non-pledge collection to a nonprofit group selected by the congregation, the UUCC gives back to the community in a meaningful and ongoing way. Thanks to our congregation’s generosity, we have donated approximately $133,000 in Share the Plate contributions to community charities since 2011.

The organization that is the recipient for the current month is asked to provide a representative to share with the congregation about the work that they are doing to help us better understand their mission and to spend time meeting our members.

Past Share the Plate Collections

Jan 2024   Minister’s Discretionary Fund          $1,589
Feb 2024   SC Appleseed Legal Justice           $ 903
Mar 2024   Congaree Riverkeeper                   $1,206
Apr 2024    Mirci                                               $1,230
May 2024   Planned Parenthood                      $1,230
Jun 2024    Good Samaritan Clinic                   $1,118
Jul 2024     Justice 360                                     $ 879
Aug 2024   Palmetto Place Children’s Shelter  $ 949
Sep 2024   Harriet Hancock Center                  $1,082
Oct 2024    Cotton Branch Branch                    $1,402
Nov 2023    Harvest Hope                                $ 874
Dec 2023   Transitions Homeless Center         $ 929

Share the Plate Calendar for 2025

Below are the 2025 recipients for Share the Plate and the months they will visit UUCC and tell us about their organizations. Thanks for your contributions and for participating in this process each year.

2025 Recipients

Congaree Riverkeeper is affiliated with the Waterkeeper Alliance, a global movement of on-the-water advocates who patrol and protect rivers and coasts all over the world.  We work to protect and improve water quality, wildlife habitat, and recreation on the Congaree, Lower Saluda and Lower Broad Rivers through advocacy, education and enforcement of environmental laws. It is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation. congareeriverkeeper.org

Cotton Branch Farm Animal Sanctuary provides a safe haven for abandoned, abused, neglected, and elderly farm animals. While there are many shelters and rescue organizations for animal companions such as cats and dogs, and wildlife, there is a lack of sanctuary for farm animals, who make up 98% of the animals killed in the US each year. It is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. cottonbranch.org

The Free Medical Clinic provides quality healthcare, at no cost, to residents of the community who cannot pay for such services and who have no health insurance. This clinic is their only option to have access to health care. The staff and volunteers operate six examination rooms, a pharmacy, a small laboratory, a classroom for patient education and meetings, a waiting room, and offices. Community partnerships are key to the Clinic’s success in providing comprehensive medical services and the continuous evolution of their programs. These partnerships also allow them to connect their patients with services currently beyond the Clinic’s scope.freemedclinic.org

Harriet Hancock LGBT Center located in the heart of Columbia is the hub of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender activity in the Midlands of South Carolina.  Our facility offers a variety of resources including a free lending library, meeting spaces for LGBT-supportive groups, and a directory of LGBT-friendly businesses, organizations, and counselors while also serving as the headquarters for the South Carolina Pride Movement. It is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. lgbtcentersc.org

Homeless No More (The Family Shelter) is a nonprofit organization that believes family homelessness is entirely solvable. Their continuum of care – from emergency services to transitional and affordable housing – keeps each family together and meets their needs at the right time with the right services. By providing the support to move each family toward a permanent, self-sufficient solution, they can eradicate family homelessness and help parents and their children achieve lasting independence. homelessnomore.org

Justice 360 Columbia promotes fairness, reliability and transparency in the criminal justice system for individuals facing the death penalty and juveniles facing lengthy sentences in South Carolina. They accomplish this by using resources and support for lawyers tasked with representing capital and juvenile defendants and representing individual clients. They advocate for policy change to address systemic flaws in the criminal justice system and educate the public to raise awareness about the administration of capital and juvenile sentencing in South Carolina. https://justice360sc.org

MIRCI (Mental Illness Recovery Center, Inc.) assists individuals with mental illness to recover in the areas of their lives impacted by their illness through housing, behavioral healthcare, and assistance with obtaining and managing their disability income. It is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. mirci.org

Palmetto Place Children & Youth Services provides a safe and nurturing environment for abused and neglected children and unaccompanied teens, offering them a broad range of services concentrating on personal healing and development. The shelter is open 24 hours each day of the year and provides medical and mental health care, crisis adjustment/transitional counseling, after-school tutoring, and recreational and social activities in addition to food, clothing, and shelter. It is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. palmettoplaceshelter.org

Planned Parenthood has promoted for nearly 100 years, a commonsense approach to women’s health and well-being, based on respect for each individual’s right to make informed, independent decisions about health, sex, and family planning.  Contributions to Planned Parenthood Federation of America are tax-deductible to the fullest extent allowable under the law. It is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. plannedparenthood.org

SC Appleseed Legal Justice Center fights for low income South Carolinians to overcome social, economic, and legal injustice. Their goal is to influence policymakers to ensure the law is fair, to educate the public and their advocates about the law, and to assist attorneys in bringing systemic litigation where the law is unfair. They are a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. scjustice.org