Unitarian Universalist Church of Cambria

Social and Environmental Justice Highlights From 2023

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We welcome you to join us in our pursuit of social and environmental justice in our community and beyond.

 

 Here is a report of our doings for the year 2023

 

Aside from helping at times and  along with members of the congregation, we assist in Environmental Justice projects like Greenspace’s planting of trees, or Coastal Cleanup Days, Squibbing Day, and of course the Highway 46 cleanup once a month headed up by Rebecca and Ted.   

Sue Davis is the lead for the cleanup of a section on Highway 1.

 

The money we receive from doing the highway cleanups goes into UUCC's general fund.

 

This year we gave $150 to ‘Stuff the Bus” a yearly collection taken to provide school supplies to the kids in the community

 

Last year we received 90 no cook bags from the SLO Food Bank to disperse as needed to people on the coast who are unhoused 

We are able to acquire these bags because we are a non profit.

 

One bag is meant to meet the nutritional needs of one person for one day.

We used $300 of our yearly budget to make up winter gift bags for the unhoused and dispersed them as we could.

These bags included flashlights, hand warmers, wet wipes, Band-Aids and array of things that might be needed during cold rainy weather.

We thank the Rotary who provided toiletry bags that were also included in the gift bags.

We received money from an anonymous donor to purchase good rain ponchos this year also.

 

We continued to collect warm clothing  and blankets during the year to distribute to the unhoused. 

 

We took $150.00 from our budget, to buy soft drinks and coffee for the LIving Waters Church, who provide the unhoused a hot meal every Saturday night. 

 

Members of the SEJC along with members of the congregation and the larger community continue to help Janet  Cooper with the monthly SLO Food Bank in San Simeon. 

A wonderful part of this effort is that Janet meets with a volunteer at the Cookie Crock before to purchase and augment the food bank with staples that the people there can really use like eggs, tortillas, tomatoes, peppers and milk and cheese.  

The extra money needed for this comes from Cambria Anonymous Neighbors and funds are used from the SEJC budget to give $25 gift certificates for the Cookie Crock to those who show up after the augmented food is gone.

Thank you to the American Legion Women's Auxiliary who awarded us $500 to help with the gift certificates this year.

We spent the last of our yearly monetary allotment to add pies in December to this food project .

 

In November, our yearly food drive with Danilda Reyes and Link Family Resource Center,  is always a big success thanks to congregation members ,some from the larger community and an anonymous donor that rounded out our spending needs with $400 this year  

We filled  40 baskets this year with a turkey and everything a family could use to have a well deserved gathering and feast.

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The Scholarship Committee,  headed up by Jan Musurra  and founded by Bobra Tahan has been in operation for 11 years.

They have awarded tens of thousands of dollars from donations to deserving students.

In 2023, 10 students were honored

 

The Women's Auxiliary at the American Legion offers us volunteer opportunities during the holidays. 

Helping to fill goody bags in December for the veterans and people in the community that can’t leave their homes, and the Toys for Tots program are 2 projects that we as a committee and congregation help with.

 

We are always available to assist anyone that wants to head up a SEJ project that they feel passionate about.