7 Holiday Giving Opportunities

GIFTS FOR THE MAMAS (MOTHERS AGAINST MURDERS ASSOCIATION) Mission: To assist parents or guardians of murder victims and to provide quality programs for youth that will turn them away from violent acts. This organization counsels grieving families who have lost a member to murder. When the mothers are ready the group brings them to speak to prisoners about the damage the murder does to survivors, including children too young to remember a slain parent.  This organization is a partner with us in our Racial Justice Initiative.

1. The Annual Christmas Toy Drive for the children of the MAMAs will continue through December 15th. Unwrapped toys or new clothes of all kinds for age 12 or under are appreciated. As in the past, we have a table set up in Minister’s Hall for your donation.  This has been an especially traumatic year for the families that the MAMAs represent.

 2. A small, personal gift with a message of condolence and community support for the mothers (the MAMA members) who have lost a family member through neighborhood gun violence.  We'll have a separate box set up for these donations.

3. $5 raffle ticket to support the MAMAs organization.  Take several to sell in your circle. See Judy Bonner or Ramsay Laing.

LAKE PARK COMMUNITY FOOD BANK provides a food pantry to serve Lake Park area residents. Open Tuesday and Thursday: 9 am - 12pm.  We collect items weekly.

4.  In December, Let’s emphasize   nonfood items that can’t be purchased with food stamps.  Eg toilet paper, diapers, personal grooming items.  Place items during offertory in boxes at front of sanctuary.

5. GIFT CARDS FOR TEENS it’s that time of the year when we begin our annual collection of $10 gift cards from Target or Walmart. The cards are given to the teens/young adults in the Children's Home Society programs.  The older children are often forgotten, while the younger ones tend to receive gifts donations.  This type of collection allows the teen to purchase items they personally need or want.  Last year First UU was very generous so, in the spirit of the Holiday Season please bring your gift cards and give them to Sam Irwin or Judy Bonner.  Be sure to visit the church office to read the delightful thank you notes they send.

6. SOCKS FOR THE HOMELESS – Many Saturdays our members distribute lunches for the homeless at St. George’s Church in Riviera Beach.  Let’s add a pair of socks in men’s or women’s large to help the homeless keep warm in the cooler days ahead.  Place socks in box in front of the sanctuary.

7. UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST SERVICE COMMITTEE donation. The catastrophic hurricane that slammed into Haiti earlier this month, dealing a terrible blow to a nation still struggling to recover from the devastating 2010 earthquake. In some parts of Haiti, destruction caused by the hurricane was so complete that people are now seeking shelter in caves. Cholera and other diseases are threatening millions. And millions of families just getting back on their feet after the 2010 earthquake have to start all over. 

UUSC is focusing our work on the “stateless” refugees deported from the Dominican Republic and stranded along that country’s border with Haiti, vulnerable families living in shelters, and other groups most likely to fall through the cracks of traditional rescue and relief efforts.

In Myanmar (Burma), violent skirmishes this month between government security forces and members of the long-persecuted Rohingya minority group threaten to erupt into massive bloodshed. UUSC is working furiously with our partners to deescalate the situation before it spirals out of control.    Meanwhile, the situation in Myanmar is extremely tense. Information is still very sketchy, but here’s what we know for sure: recent violence in Rakhine state has enabled government security operations to cut off assistance to tens of thousands of ethnic Rohingya and other vulnerable populations and forced them to flee their homes.

We’re working with our grassroots partner, the Burma Human Rights Network, to document and publicize information about this crisis and neutralize hate speech and malicious disinformation campaigns before this crisis explodes beyond control.

There will be a box in the Narthex for your donations.  Please write checks to 1stUUPB and put UUSC on the memo line.