Each month, UUFH splits its collection plate proceeds with a local charity. Our members donate more than $20,000 to the local community this way each year.
The Split Plate is decided by the congregation. The committee is made up of 3 UUFH members. If you would like to submit a recommendation for the Split the Plate, please email Jim Ammerman.
2024
The Long Island Doula Association (LIDA) is a multi-professional organization operating on the paradigm that pregnancy, birth, and postpartum are normal processes and that with proper support and education families can be empowered during this time. LIDA and its members provide evidence-based information and positive support, education, and care for women in the early stages of motherhood, from conception through postpartum. The Community Support Fund helps those who may be facing financial hardship, have had a death of a partner, have a history of or current postpartum depression, or those at risk such as teen parents, single parents, or have serious illness.
NAACP Huntington Branch Scholarship Fund
The vision of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is to ensure a society in which all individuals have equal rights without discrimination based on race. Founded in 1909, the NAACP is the nation’s oldest and largest civil rights organization. From the ballot box to the classroom, the thousands of dedicated workers, organizers, leaders, and members who make up the NAACP continue to fight for social justice for all Americans. The Huntington Branch works with the state and national NAACP offices to strengthen their commitment to supporting equality and justice in the Huntington community.
New Hour (For Women and Children) was founded to provide meaningful support to current and formerly incarcerated women, their children, and families. New Hour builds community to promote successful re-entry and lasting reintegration, and to reform unjust criminal justice system policies. New Hour’s vision is to empower justice impacted women and provide successful support for mothers and children. By providing parenting skills, work skills, and wellness programs during and after incarceration, New Hour aims to give women the tools needed to become powerful change agents for themselves, their community, and their children. (New Hour’s Executive Director, Serena Martin-Liguori, was the guest speaker at the November 5, 2023, UUFH Sunday Service.)
2023
HIHI (Huntington Interfaith Homeless Initiative) offers homeless individuals in Huntington a safe, warm place to spend the night during the winter months, December through March. Comprised of more than 35 local congregations and in cooperation with the Suffolk County Family Service League, these groups provide housing, clothing, a hot dinner, breakfast, and bag lunch to participants. Since the pandemic HIHI has been sheltering individuals in hotels and needs contributions to support that effort. Many of you have volunteered for HIHI before and know how important this mission is to UUFH.
Recent events have shaken the Middle East and the wider world. As a humanitarian organization, the International Rescue Committee (IRC) stands on the side of those in need. The attack by Hamas on Israel on October 7th was reprehensible and horrific. Targeting civilians and taking civilians hostage is wrong. The ensuing conflict has resulted in major loss of civilian life and huge increase in humanitarian need among Palestinians. Civilians are suffering and in peril because they are trapped amid a war. The humanitarian imperative, and the principles of neutrality, impartiality, independence, and humanity which drive it forward, have never been more needed. The work of the IRC in the Middle East and North Africa region, in Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, Yemen and Libya, which helped 6.3 million people last year, shows what is possible.
To help the thousands of asylum seekers who’ve made the trip to New York City, Make The Road New York is collecting donations of any size to pay for things like cash assistance and MetroCards for asylum seekers. Make the Road New York is a second home to tens of thousands of immigrant and working class people of color. It promotes economic justice, equity, and opportunity for all New Yorkers through community and electoral organizing, strategic policy advocacy, leadership development, youth and adult education, and high quality legal and support services. Their programs are designed to support families over years and even decades, creating a resilient and tight-knit community that nurtures self-sufficiency and leadership of each member.
The Maui wildfires were the deadliest in the US in the last century, destroyed the historic town of Lahaina, and were the worst natural disaster in the history of Hawai’i. The Maui Strong Fund of the Hawai’i Community Foundation (HCF) is providing financial resources to support immediate and long-term recovery needs for the people and places affected by the devastating Maui wildfires. HCF is working in close collaboration with state and county leaders, nonprofit organizations, and community members to get an understanding of the quickly evolving priorities. The Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (UUSC) did not create its own emergency response in Hawai’i but instead listed the listed The Maui Strong Fund as an important local organization aiding with disaster recovery.
The mission of the Huntington Township Housing Coalition (HTHC) is to encourage the development of affordable new and rehabilitated homes, both rental and ownership, for low- and moderate-income individuals and families in Huntington. We do this by assessing and documenting the need; educating the public; identifying, monitoring, and promoting affordable housing opportunities and collaborating with other public and private organizations. HTHC currently needs financial backing for upcoming community advocacy efforts on Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs), apartments above stores and the Melville Town Center project.
Moms Demand Action is a grassroots movement of Americans fighting for public safety measures that can protect people from gun violence. We pass stronger gun laws and work to close the loopholes that jeopardize the safety of our families. We also work in our own communities and with business leaders to encourage a culture of responsible gun ownership. We know that gun violence is preventable, and we’re committed to doing what it takes to keep families safe. Moms Demand Action is affiliated with Everytown For Gun Safety which conducts original research into the issues and solutions around gun violence and shares their findings with the public.
In celebration of its 11th year of service, the G2GG will use this year’s Split Plate donations to help complete special projects, some of which were started with past donations. These include completion of the new shed and of the 8th planting bed. Also, the continued addition of native pollinator plants to the “Runway” garden which starts at the Beehive Corner and runs southward for more than 50 feet. This is the direct path the honeybees take when leaving and returning to their hive. G2GG’s intention is to improve the ability and productivity of Fellowship members who are not only growing organic produce for donation to local food pantries, but doing so in a way that gives back, ecologically, to the environment and the honeybees. Thank you for your support!
The vision of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is to ensure a society in which all individuals have equal rights without discrimination based on race. Founded in 1909, the NAACP is the nation’s oldest and largest civil rights organization. From the ballot box to the classroom, the thousands of dedicated workers, organizers, leaders, and members who make up the NAACP continue to fight for social justice for all Americans. The Huntington Branch will work with the state and national NAACP offices to strengthen our commitment to supporting equality and justice in the Huntington community.
Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) cares for people affected by conflict, disease outbreaks, natural and human-made disasters, and exclusion from health care in more than 70 countries. Following the powerful earthquakes that hit Turkey and Syria on February 6, Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) teams are responding to the increasing needs. MSF teams in northwestern Syria began treating patients within the first hours after the earthquakes struck. MSF emergency teams are assessing the needs in the most affected areas of southern Turkey. More than 50,000 people have been killed and many more injured and left homeless across the two countries and the death toll is expected to rise. Unrestricted support from donors allows MSF to mobilize quickly and efficiently to provide lifesaving medical care to the people who need it most.
Rural & Migrant Ministry works for the creation of a just, rural New York State through nurturing leadership, changing unjust systems and structures, and standing with the disenfranchised, especially farmworkers and rural workers. We put our mission into action through three main program areas: Accompaniment, Popular Education, and Youth Empowerment. Rev. Richard Witt, the Executive Director of Rural and Migrant Ministry, will be speaking from the pulpit on January 29.
2022
HIHI (Huntington Interfaith Homeless Initiative) offers homeless individuals in Huntington a safe, warm place to spend the night during the winter months, December through March. Comprised of more than 35 local congregations and in cooperation with the Suffolk County Family Service League, these groups provide housing, clothing, a hot dinner, breakfast, and bag lunch to participants. Many of you have volunteered for HIHI before and know how important this mission is to UUFH.
The Supreme Court has overturned Roe v. Wade and eliminated our federal constitutional right to abortion. Planned Parenthood health centers, including the Huntington health center, will continue to provide care as best they can, and Planned Parenthood will keep fighting to ensure you have access to the health care services, education, and access you need to control your body, your life, and your future. Patients need Planned Parenthood, and Planned Parenthood needs contributions to continue to protect and provide care, no matter what.
Temple Beth El is a Reform Congregation in Huntington and a member of the Union of Reform Judaism. The Temple is active in many community efforts, including the Huntington Interfaith Homeless Initiative (HiHi). Temple Beth El is now privileged to coordinate an effort on behalf of nine area congregations, including the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Huntington, to host and resettle a refugee family from the Ukraine in Huntington in partnership with HIAS, a well-regarded global Jewish organization that protects refugees. The process for becoming a designated host community is rigorous, and we are very proud to have reached the first milestone of having our application approved. The most pressing need right now is funds. HIAS requires that host communities raise enough funds to support the family for the first three-six months before a family can be assigned. Temple Beth El established a fund that will be used exclusively for community-wide resettlement purposes and would greatly appreciate the contribution of any amount from the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Huntington to the Temple Beth- El Resettlement Fund.
This summer, UUFH’s own Grow to Give Garden (G2GG) is celebrating its tenth year of growing organic vegetables and fruit, all of which is donated to local food pantries such as Long Island Cares. The garden relies on its budget to supplement donations of tools, seed, compost, and routine upkeep and maintenance. This year, the G2GG volunteers are expanding their focus to give back to Mother Nature by eliminating invasive weeds and introducing native plants that will provide food for the birds, bees and other pollinator insects. Help us create a more ecologically healthy and sustainable garden!
Open Buffalo is a civic initiative to make major, long-term improvements in justice and equity in the City of Buffalo, New York. Established in 2014, it is an unprecedented collaboration among a diverse group of partners and allies. Our mission is to advance racial, economic, and ecological justice. We do so through skill building, network connecting, and activating leadership opportunities. People directly experiencing systemic challenges and inequities that we aim to address will always have a voice in identifying the problems and developing the solutions. Our goal is for all communities in Western New York to thrive free from discrimination and poverty. An empowered democratic society is key to a joyful, culturally rich community and sustainable planet.
Located in Huntington Station, the Helping Hand Rescue Mission seeks to improve the spiritual and temporal conditions of the children, families, and people of the communities they serve by providing excellent service to all who come, whether they be rich or poor. They are here to love, to serve, and to give. The Helping Hand Rescue Mission Pantry is serving approximately 200-250 families per week with non-perishable and fresh produce, fruit, meat and eggs, milk, and bread. They have given out more than 39,000 food parcels since March 21, 2020. Their dining room recently suffered water damage due to a burst pipe, so contributions are especially needed now.
Unitarian Universalists have a long history of being at the forefront of justice movements – from abolition and civil rights to climate justice and immigration rights. But the power we have as individuals and even as individual congregations, while significant, does not have the political power we can have when we come together in cooperative state action. That’s where New York UUs for Justice (NYUUJ) comes in. NYUUJ is our New York State-wide UU legislative and justice action organization. The mission of NYUUJ is building justice and power in New York. They seek to accomplish this by connecting Unitarian Universalists with one another and with partners who share our values; learning from those most engaged in the struggle for justice and following their lead; and activating collective power to advocate for a just New York.
An excerpt from UUSC’s president Rev. Mary Katherine Morn’s statement about the war in Ukraine: “UUSC is a human rights organization with more than 80 years of work in solidarity with people who have experienced displacement. We know that a further escalation of war in Ukraine will only worsen the global refugee crisis in which more than 80 million people worldwide have already been displaced from their homes. Ukraine is currently home to more than a million asylum-seekers and internally-displaced people, many of whom could now be forced to flee for a second time as a result of Putin’s incursion.”
The vision of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is to ensure a society in which all individuals have equal rights without discrimination based on race. Founded in 1909, the NAACP is the nation’s oldest and largest civil rights organization. From the ballot box to the classroom, the thousands of dedicated workers, organizers, leaders, and members who make up the NAACP continue to fight for social justice for all Americans. The Huntington Branch will work with the state and national NAACP offices to strengthen our commitment to supporting equality and justice in the Huntington community.
Gender Equality New York, Inc., better known as “GENY”, is a non-profit whose mission is to advocate for transgender, non-binary, and intersex New Yorkers. GENY is committed to gaining equal rights and ending discrimination to achieve economic, educational, racial, and social equity for our communities. These goals are met by engaging in education and outreach to increase the general public’s understanding of the gender-expansive community, and to decrease incidents of discrimination and violence. GENY seeks to influence the public’s social attitudes, gain allies, and establish our community’s presence across New York State.
2021
HiHi, the Huntington Interfaith Homeless Initiative, is a Huntington-wide effort to address homelessness right here in our community. Through the efforts of HiHi, in conjunction with the Suffolk County Family Services League, nightly food and shelter are provided to men in need from December through March. Many of you have volunteered for HiHi before and know how important this mission is to UUFH. Again, this year, due to COVID, HiHi looks very different. Only one house of worship (Gloria Dei) will be housing the men. However, there is now an even greater need for funding than ever before. Please consider giving generously to HiHi this year and help this program keep our community members safe and healthy this winter.
The Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (UUSC) is a nonprofit, nonsectarian organization advancing human rights together with an international community of grassroots partners and advocates. UUSC advances human rights and social justice around the world, partnering with those who confront unjust power structures and mobilizing to challenge oppressive policies. Our work is grounded in the belief that all people have inherent power and dignity.
The Unitarian Universalist Association Office at the United Nations is a non-governmental organization in association with the United Nations Department of Global Communications and in consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council. The UUA Office at the UN represents the UUA and the Canadian Unitarian Council at the United Nations, where we promote the goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all, as reflected in the United Nations Charter. Through targeted education, advocacy, and outreach, we engage Unitarian Universalists in support of international cooperation and the work of the UN.
Since 1981 Rural & Migrant Ministry, a statewide, non-profit organization, has been standing proudly with the rural and migrant communities throughout New York State. We act to overcome the prejudices and poverty that degrade and debilitate people within rural New York by building communities that celebrate diversity, achieve true mutuality and fight for dignity and opportunity for all. We work with rural leaders, both young and older, who are committed to equality and cooperative opportunity, especially within agricultural systems. We also support people in faith, labor and university communities who seek to stand with rural leaders as allies. A representative of Rural & Migrant Ministry will participate in the last service of the month.
Tri CYA is a private, not-for-profit community based agency dedicated to supporting the growth and development of youth and their families in the communities of Huntington, South Huntington and Cold Spring Harbor. For more than 40 years, the Tri CYA has provided a broad range of educational, recreational, social, cultural, athletic, counseling and advocacy programs, working closely and cooperatively with businesses, school districts, law enforcement, community groups, government agencies and religious organizations as well as with individuals, parents, and youth community volunteers. Tri CYA is constantly interacting with community members to help them identify their needs and developing programs which answer to those needs.
Huntington’s Cinema Arts Centre is a major nonprofit local arts and culture center founded in 1973 and best known for its diverse array of movies. They also host numerous events and support a plethora of progressive causes through both these events and their cinema. Many UUFH members are active members or friends. Though Cinema Arts has been closed to in-person events since the start of the pandemic, they continue online presentations and have taken advantage of this period to make major renovations (https://cinemaartscentre.org/updates-on-our-renovation/). Supply chain issues have delayed re-opening, but they hope to re-open by fall, though are not yet ready to provide a date. They are supported by a wide array of generous donors, but given the challenges of the last year need support now more than ever.
From early spring through late fall, UUFH volunteers for the Grow to Give Garden (G2GG) raise organic vegetables and herbs to donate to local food pantries. They do this work to provide healthy, unprocessed food to local families in need who depend on food pantries to eat. Long Island Cares has expressed gratitude on behalf of the people from our community who have come in seeking fresh, organic produce each week. The G2GG is planted as early in the spring as possible so that UU’s of all ages who want to participate can be actively involved in the garden. The Grow to Give Garden is a wonderful place to learn new skills, to make new friends, and to put our UU values into action. They always welcome additional financial and volunteer support.
The Long Island Poor People’s Campaign is working to educate people about and to dismantle the interlocking injustices of systemic poverty, systemic racism, ecological devastation, and militarism. We are a fusion coalition, networking with other groups fighting to achieve Martin Luther King’s vision of a Beloved Community through a revolution of values. The UUA is a coalition member of the PPC nationwide, with shared Principles and concerns. We invite you to join us here on Long Island.
Asian Americans for Equality (AAFE) is a New York City-based organization founded in 1974 which is active in community services and development, financial empowerment, and advocacy. It helps community members with a wide range of housing, immigration, and other issues, with counselors available in Manhattan, Queens, and Brooklyn. AAFE has also created 800 units of affordable housing, and through its affiliate has provided more than 1200 small business loans during the past two decades. AAFE recently called on elected officials, as well as its AAFE partners in immigrant and communities of color, to condemn anti-Asian racism and hate crimes – and to invest in community-centered programs and infrastructure for creating safe, inclusive, and healthy communities.
H2 Empower inspires hope, humanity, and higher learning in Ethiopia and Burundi. In Ethiopia we built a community library, computer room and a rural school library. We brought water to 4 schools and their community and trained 450 teachers and 190 school librarians. H2 Empower built 19 public school classrooms to cut class size from over 100 children in a class. In Burundi, h2 Empower supported a microloan & literacy project and provided scholarships for Burundi students; this year we hope to build a water and sanitation system in a primary school for 1,500 girls.
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), Huntington chapter is an interracial American organization created to work for the abolition of segregation and discrimination; to oppose racism, and to ensure African Americans their constitutional rights. Founded in 1909, the NAACP is the nation’s oldest and largest civil rights organization. From the ballot box to the classroom, thousands of dedicated workers, organizers, leaders, and members who make up the NAACP continue to fight for social justice for all Americans. The Huntington chapter works to educate all political candidates to support policies that improve access to quality education and economic opportunity, criminal justice reform, the environment, healthcare, and youth empowerment, with a dedication to removing race-based oppression and discrimination from society. By supporting the Huntington chapter you are supporting their mission to remove all barriers of racial discrimination through education, empowerment, and the democratic processes. They foster collaboration with various organizations in the community to continue our efforts in increasing civic engagement, access, diversity, and inclusivity throughout the Huntington community while decreasing inequities that exist in health, education, housing, employment, and criminal justice systems. Join their chapter, become an active member, and be a part of more than 500,000 people who stand for the freedoms guaranteed in our Nation’s Constitution. The fight for freedom is not free! Your membership will help fund initiatives and programs to support our mission of racial equality and equal justice. Visit them at www.NAACPHuntington.org and on Facebook at NAACP Huntington Branch.