By Holly Bussey, Community Outreach Fund

A meaningful service often ends with a Worship Associate offering a reflection and inviting you to give generously when the plate is passed—or when you click the donation link in Zoom or give through Venmo. You hear that “half the plate, minus pledge payments, supports justice work beyond our walls and empowers our community to serve the wider world.”

What you may not realize is just how far your generosity goes.

From July through November 2025, half the plate generated $9,200—enough to fund UUCWC’s social justice ministries and make significant contributions to organizations that need our support. That’s 14% more than the same period last year (2024). These funds are the primary source of annual support for our Food, Racial Justice, Faith Action, Community Action, Earth and Climate, and Homefront ministries.

Your giving also enables us to support vital external partners, including Snipes Farm and Education Center, UU Disaster Relief, food banks across Pennsylvania and New Jersey, the Trenton Microloan Collaborative, and many others. When SNAP funding was suddenly cut during the government shutdown, your generosity allowed us to respond immediately, distributing $5,000 to trusted food charities with long-standing partnerships and proven impact.

Oversight of these funds is handled by the newly renamed Community Outreach Fund (formerly FEFT). We’re the volunteers who ensure that every dollar you give goes as far as possible.

Thank you for your generosity, and please keep it up. If you’d like to learn more, talk with any of us: Rab Bell, Elizabeth Berkowitz, Holly Bussey, Bud Johnson, Jane Root, Jim Sanders, or Dan Tuft.