The Community Offering Committee organizes donations to nonprofits that embody our congregation’s principles and allow us to practice generosity. Every week, our plate collection is split 50/50 between the month’s community offering recipient and the church’s general fund. On any fifth Sunday of the month, we give 100% of the offering to the minister’s Pastoral Care Fund.
Questions? Send an email to: community-offering@uueugene.org
January's Community Offering:
Rural Organizing Project
“Turning the tide of authoritarianism will take all of us who are committed to a truly just and thriving democracy. There has never been a more urgent time to organize and build our strength than under growing authoritarianism [ROP publications].”
The Rural Organizing Project is a state-wide organization that builds and supports a shared standard of human dignity: the belief in the equal worth of all communities, the need for equal access to justice and the right to self-determination.
ROP supports and connects over 95 volunteer-led, self-directed Human Dignity Groups across rural Oregon. ROP began as an effective response to the 1992 Oregon Citizens Alliance’s “Abnormal Behaviors Initiative” which targeted gay and lesbian Oregonians for legalized second-class citizenship.
Currently, thousands of rural immigrant community members are supported by ROP’s work. ROP’s challenges to the anti-democratic right have earned a national reputation for being an effective grassroots organization that takes on the tough issues. ROP aligns perfectly with UUCE’s January theme of “practicing resistance.
2025 Community Contributions
Egan Warming Center provides warm, safe shelter and meals for unhoused residents when temperatures dip below freezing. St Vincent dePaul is the lead agency. Some of our congregants volunteer for Egan and last year, our church became one of Egan’s sites. This year, however, our shelter site isn’t going to open because Egan lost funding when government budgets were cut. December’s community offering will support Egan, whether or not it can use our church as one of its sites, because no one should be out in the cold.
Our November community offering will be split between the church and the Hope and Safety Alliance (formerly Womenspace). Hope and Safety Alliance has served lane county for nearly 50 years, providing essential support to people experiencing domestic violence. They offer a 24 hour crisis line, shelter, housing, assistance, advocacy, support groups, legal resources, and more. The work is grounded in meeting survivors where they are and helping them take the next steps towards safety and stability.
Given the ongoing immigration crisis, and the trauma it is causing, October’s worship theme, Cultivating Compassion, is especially meaningful. In that spirit, the Community Offering will be split between the church and Grupo Latino de Acción Directa (aka GLAD of Lane County), the Eugene-based nonprofit that seeks to strengthen the social, political and economic future of Latinos and other under-represented groups in Lane County and throughout Oregon.
“It’s a really difficult time,” says GLAD’s Guadalupe Quinn, a longtime community organizer and activist. “I’ve been here since 1951 and I’ve never seen this level of attack.”
Our donation will support GLAD’s JusticeKids program for high school students. Designed and taught by local immigration lawyers and professionals, the course informs students about everything from asylum and refugee law to tips for pursuing a career as an immigration attorney.
“This is our main program,” Quinn says of JusticeKids. “Our big hope is that we encourage young folks to get into immigration law.”
The need for immigration lawyers is surging, evidenced by widespread arrests and deportations. That makes the JusticeKids project timely and well worth supporting.
To find out more, visit the GLAD website.
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netCorps increases the capacity of some of your favorite local nonprofit organizations by providing reduced-cost technology support and training directly to those organizations, helping them meet their mission without technology dragging them down. They support nonprofits with various services, including website development, database review and implementation, and office hardware and software. They are driven by a belief in the power of a strong and sustainable nonprofit sector to create a more just and caring world, and that the key to getting there is to build systems that let organizations succeed.
The Community Alliance of Lane County, or CALC, works to educate and organize for peace, human dignity, and social, racial, and economic justice. Another World is Possible. Two of their current programs that our Community Offering donation for the month of August would be supporting include Springfield Alliance for Equity and Respect (SAfER) and Citywide Unión de Activistas.
The only grassroots social justice group based in Springfield, SAfER works on immigrant rights and racial justice, LGBTQ rights, and the right to shelter. They work with Springfield Public Schools for student-focused events connected to Martin Luther King, Jr. and Cesar Chavez. Past accomplishments include securing changes in city ordinances to allow churches to host homeless people in church parking lots, kick-starting the Egan Warming Centers (now administered by St. Vincent de Paul but begun by volunteers in Springfield, and initiating popular school and community celebrations which honor diversity and highlight youth achievements.
Citywide is a youth activist program for social justice. The program aims to serve Latinx youth in developing cultural identity through connection with Indigenous heritage; understanding the cultural, colonial, and resistance histories of their ancestors; and by developing political knowledge and advocacy skills. Citywide offers youth mentorship services including: scholastic tutoring, professional skill development, and leadership development. UUCE’s donation would help provide food and transportation costs for participants.
The June Community Offering on June 1 and 8 will be given to TimeDone, a nationwide organization working to
remove barriers for people convicted of crimes who have served their sentence. After release from prison, convicted criminals still face thousands of legal obstacles. They are not allowed in many public housing units. In many states, they cannot get a license to sell used cars or real estate or work as a barber or even as a dog walker.
TimeDone works to build strong families and communities by organizing to end post-conviction poverty. TimeDone has advocated for policies that provided more than 5 million people with an opportunity to clear an old record. People who can access employment, housing, and support their families have a better chance to rebuild a life and stay out of prison. Visit timedone.org to learn more.
PERIOD. is a nonprofit whose mission is eradicating menstrual period poverty and stigma by creating action plans that employ three pillars: service, education, and advocacy. Period poverty has its roots in lack of resources, marginalization, racism, sexism, misogyny, resistance to change, and cultural norms. Period poverty may risk good health and often means a diminishment of human dignity and an ongoing inability to fully participate in educational, professional and personal endeavors.
For our community offering during
Earth Month, we’re giving to Breach Collective, a nonprofit focused on climate justice that began in Eugene. The staff helps people go “into the breach” to advocate, protest and protect our environment. Breach Collective has assisted environmental efforts in Oregon, the Northwest and throughout the country by providing legal expertise, grassroots organizing and strategic communications. Read more!
Northwest Battle Buddies gifts professionally trained service dogs to veterans battling PTSD, helping them regain their freedom and independence.
There is no cure for PTSD, but service dogs can reduce PTSD symptoms with life-changing results. With a canine Battle Buddy by their side, Veterans with PTSD can regain their freedom and independence.
All of Northwest Battle Buddies’ service dogs spend 5+ months in intensive training then are carefully matched with a Veteran handler for five more weeks of training and bonding, creating the ultimate partnership. Find out more.
Queer Eugene is a local organization
that was founded to support queer folks in the state currently known as Oregon with access to resources and community. Their motto is: For the Community, By the Community. Queer Eugene’s Board of Directors oversees the paperwork, financial, and other required back-end non-profit requirements, and supports a group of “Affinity Project Coordinators”. Affinity Project Coordinators are community volunteers who lead events, clubs, groups, programs, and such that they like and want to participate with others in the community. These can take on a very wide range of ideas! Coordinators are supported by the Board to connect with community members and build up Eugene’s opportunities to build relationships and community.</span></p><p><span style=\”font-family: arial, sans-serif;\”>Donations from this community offering will go to support Queer Eugene’s newest affinity project, \”Rainbow Family Socials\”. These events give a space for all of the family to come together at one time. They will offer food and activities and enjoy time together as a whole community, and also provide separate spaces for age groups to spend dedicated time with their peers.
Wordcrafters in Eugene.
In their mission statement, they write, “We believe in the power of storytelling and its ability to create community.” Since 2012, Wordcrafters has been empowering writers and readers by increasing access to community, the craft of writing, and inspiration. They operate a number of different writing workshops for both adults and youth. Especially inspirational is their Writers in the Schools residencies programs, which serve more than two-hundred low-income, at-risk students at Lane County schools each year.
2024 Community Contributions = $27,380.07
Oregon Wild works to protect and restore Oregon’s wildlands, wildlife, and waters as an enduring legacy for future generations. They envision an Oregon where nature doesn’t just survive, but thrives.
Founded in 1974, Oregon Wild represents the fish and wildlife, ancient forests, and rich diversity of public lands and landscapes that make this state so special. They work to protect and restore the parts of the natural world that do not have a human voice, while not forgetting that humans are interconnected with nature and its systems.
Across five decades they have successfully fought to protect nearly two million acres of Wilderness, over 2,000 miles of Wild & Scenic Rivers, countless endangered wildlife, vast stretches of old-growth forests, and essential ecosystems all across the state. They advocate for Oregon’s unique environments through a combination of education, public communications, direct lobbying, grassroots activism, and partnering with and elevating allied groups and voices. This year they celebrate their 50th anniversary! Chandra LeGue will visit our service on November 3 to say a few words about Oregon Wild, and will have a table set up after the service. For more information, visit https://oregonwild.org/
Anyone diagnosed with a fatal illness faces difficult decisions. One option in Oregon is Death With Dignity, a ground-breaking law for those who are dying. DWD was confirmed twice by Oregon voters and other states have used it as a framework for their own versions of DWD.
If the sick person chooses to use DWD, it helps to have guides who understand the legal, emotional and medical steps needed to enact it. That’s where End of Life Choices Oregon shines. These volunteers work with the patient and medical community to smooth the way. EOLCOR’s volunteers also do community outreach, such as participating in our series, Bringing Our Values to Our End of Life Choices, which will be offered again in the Spring.
More information on EOLCOR is at https://eolcoregon.org/.
Our local chapter is led by Rob Castleberry, who invites each of you to talk with him about the issues, ask questions, and participate in educational and other activities. You can also find more information on UUJME’s website.
UUJME, founded in 1971, is a UUA-related social justice organization of education and advocacy siding with love with the people of Palestine-Israel. UUJME has a vision of a just peace in Palestine-Israel that reflects our UU values of respect for the inherent worth and dignity of every human being and justice, equity and compassion in human relations.
Our offering this month is given in support of these principles.
In August, the community offering is directed toward Black Thistle Street Aid (BTSA), an organizational partner with UUCE, using our parking lot once a month for a health access “pop up”.
BTSA bridges the gap between our community’s most vulnerable populations and integrative medical care by meeting people where they are literally and figuratively. BTSA believes safe, respectful, trauma informed and culturally competent healthcare is a human right. No one should be excluded from accessing care.
Created by the national Unitarian Universalist Association’s Side With Love team, UU the Vote is an initiative that provides UUs an opportunity to bring our democratic values to life in the struggle to build a genuine multiracial democracy.
UU the Vote engages people in voter registration, issue education, get-out-the-vote drives, voter protection, state leadership development, and more.
What started as an initiative in 2019 to focus on the election period leading up to the 2020 election has shifted from election-year organizing to year-round movement-building work toward building a truly inclusive democracy.
June – CASA of Lane County – $2,224.28
May – Plaza de Nuestra Comunidad – $1,948.57
April – Our Children’s Trust – $1,966.15
March – Cesar Chavez Elementary School – $2,222.52
February – Water for Warm Springs Indian Reservation – $2,341.85
January – Springfield Alliance for Equity and Respect – $1,433.5
2023 Community Contributions = 28,497.44
December – Ronald McDonald Houses – $2,092.59
November – Housing Our Veterans – $2,226.96
October – Pearl Buck Center, Preschool – $1,543.93
September – Maui Strong Fund – $1,742.14
August – Tooth Taxi for Lane County – $1,805.44
July – Greenhill Humane Society – $1,669.94
June – Imagination Library – $2,823.29
May – MECCA (Materials Exchange Center for Community Arts) – $2,929.66
April – Northwest Abortion Access Fund – $2,745.94
March – 15th Night – $2,313.07
February – 86 Hunger – $3,730.84
January – Helping the Homeless Lane County – $2,873.64
2022 Community Contributions = $40,456.93
December – Every Child Lane County – $2,803.61
November – ShelterCare – $3,344.49
October – Hurricane Fiona Relief – $3,621.72
September – National Alliance on Mental Illness – $2,625.45
August – Arc Park – $3,537.21
July – Long Tom Watershed Council – $2,996.48
June – Water for the Warm Springs Reservation – $3,282.09
May – Oregon Natural Desert Association – $2,679.67
April – World Central Kitchen (feeding Ukraine refugees) – $6,102.26
March – Huerto de la Familia – $3,760.93
February – United Way of Lane County/Racial Justice – $2,798.95
January – The Dining Room – $2,904.07
2021 Total Contributions = $25,789.85
December – Guest at Your Table – $2,785.01
(donations over $150 matched by Shelter Rock UU)
November – Rock the Vote – $1,800.01
October – Oregon Community Asylum Network – $2,415.83
September – Oregon Community Foundation for people affected by wildfires – $2,128
August – Ophelia’s Place – $2,213
July – Chinuk Wawa Language Study at Lane Community College – $1,540
June – Willamette Riverkeepers – $1,400
May – RIP Medical Debt – $2,500
April – Faith Community Fund/McKenzie River Trust (Interfaith Earthkeepers) – $2,220
March – PCUN (Pineros y Campesinos Unidos del Noreste) – $3,220
February – Lane Mutual Aid – $1,460
January – Carry It Forward – $2,108
Dec 20 – Relief Nursery – $950
Nov 15 – Customer Relief Funds, EWEB and SUB – $988
Oct 18 – Center for Community Counseling – $750
Sept 20 – Everyone On (internet connectivity) – $525
Aug 16 – SURJ-EF (Showing Up For Racial Justice Education Fund) – $1,345
July 19 – YMCA – $585
June 21 – FOOD for Lane County – $2,050
May 17 – Habitat for Humanity – $886
April 19 – Centro Latino Americano COVID-19 Relief Fund – $3,985
March 15 – Boys & Girls Club of Emerald Valley – $925
Feb 16 – NW Abortion Access Fund – $1,290.86
Jan 26 – UU Voices for Justice – $968
Dec 15 – Uhlhorn Day Services – $884
Nov 18 – Womenspace (for children’s gifts) – $1,340.46
Oct 20 – Girl Scouts – $1,037
Sept 19 – Blues in the Schools – $1,247.52
Aug 18 – Bethel Farm – $1,042
July 21 – Trauma Healing Project – $1,104.22
June 16 – Little Music Playground (Oregon Mozart Players) – $835
May 19 – The Natives Program – $1,273
April 21 – Trans*Ponder – $,1443.75
March 18 – Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights – $1,636.53
Feb 17 – Back to Back Program (Community Alliance of Lane County) – $1,341.30
Jan 20 – Square One – $1,494
Dec 20 – First Place Night Shelter Program (St Vincent de Paul) – $1,938.22
Nov 18 – Produce Plus – $1,378.36
Oct 14 – League of Women Voters of Lane County – $1,511.97
Sept 16 – School Supply Programs at St Vincent de Paul – $1,703.21
Aug 19 – Shelter Animal Resource Alliance (SARA) – $976.19
July 15 – Imagination Library/Eugene Library Foundation – $730.00
June 17 – Dad’s Program at Willamette Family – $825.76
May 20 – Cascadia Wildlands – $1,333.15
April 22 – UUA’s Ministry for Earth – $1,107.83
March 18 – Eugene Mission Wellness Center – $1,221
Feb 18 – CAHOOTS – $1,314.41
Jan 21 – Positive Community Kitchen – $1,120
Dec 17 – Community Supported Shelters – $1,160
Nov 19 – Occupy Medical – $1,380
Oct 15 – Centro Latino Americano – $1,327.89
Sept 17 – Junction City Local Aid – $875.60
Aug 20 – Cielo de Amor – $1,217.19
July 16 – Center for Community Counseling – $1,034.45
June 18 – Days for Girls Int’l – $847
May 21 – Youth House, St. Vincent de Paul – $1,651.50
April 16 – That’s My Farmer – $1,183
March 19 – Planned Parenthood of Southwestern Oregon – $1,873.72
Feb 19 – Beyond Toxics – $1,242
Jan 15 – Honor The Earth, Native environmental issues – $1,349.56
Dec 15 – Buckley Station sobering services – $1,324.96
Nov 20 – Community Veterinarian Center – $1,122
Oct 2 – Guatemalan Asylum Project – $595
Sept 18 – Refugee Resettlement Coalition of Lane County (through Catholic Community Services) – $1,546.54
August 21 – Grrrlz Rock – $549
July 17 – Common Ground neighborhood garden – $624
June 19 – Eugene Mission to support recovery from its kitchen fire – $843
May 15 – Burrito Brigade – $1,106.52
April 17 – Tribute Offering for Tom Sears’ Project – $3,616.98
March 20 – Vet LIFT at St Vincent de Paul – $1,054.23
Feb 21 – Lane County NAACP – $1,205.00
Jan 17 – Syrian Refugee Relief through UU Service Committee – $1,844.00
December – Mujeres Luchadoras Progresistas – $889.00
November – Belly-Full – $1,378.00
October – Long Tom Watershed Council – $748.00
September – Boys and Girls Club – $1,203.00
August – Friendship With Cambodia – $1,126.45
July – Friends of Trees – $640.00
June – Nepal earthquake relief – $1,327.64
May – Grassroots Garden (FOOD for Lane County) – $915.58
April – White Bird Dental Clinic – $1,041.33
March – Nightingale Health Sanctuary – $2,450.57
February – New Roads School (Looking Glass) – $1,110.00
January – Oregon Shores Conservation Coalition – $909.00
Dec – Community Supported Shelters – $1,430.22
Nov – Reality Kitchen – $992.50
Oct – Project Opportunity – $1,318.15
Sept – Lane Senior Support Coalition – $1,000.68
Aug – eLAW – $1,280.60
July – Parenting Now! – $1,150
June – Pro-Bone-O – $849.25
May – Reach Out and Read – $1,213.68
Apr – Aranu’tiq – $2,005.52
Mar – Friends of Buford Park – $1,275.94
Feb – Bags of Love – $1,805.50
Jan – Philippines earthquake relief (through UUA Service Committee) – $1,425.56
Dec – Occupy Medical – $1,345.19
Nov – Maya Education Fund – $1,217.60
Oct – CROP Walk – $1,302.55
Sept – InStove – $1,910.75
Aug – Breakfast Program, First Christian Church in Eugene – $1,040.21
July – Sexual Assault Support Services – $950.80
June – Opportunity Village – $1,055.32
May – Station 7 (Looking Glass) – $1,476.15
Apr – none; Music Sunday
Mar – That’s My Farmer – $1,327.24
Feb – Autism Rocks – $1,400+
Jan – National Alliance for the Mentally Ill – $1,334.17
Dec – First Place Family Center (St Vincent dePaul) – $1,724.80
Nov – The Dining Place (FOOD for Lane County) – $1,040
Oct – Cascade Raptor Center – $1,095.70
Sept – Looking Glass – $1,570.80
Aug – MECCA – $1,338.65
July – Juvental FACETA/Amigos – $852.31
June – Community Center for Counseling – $746
May – No offering; church was moving to new location
Apr – Long Way Home – $808.50
Mar – That’s My Farmer – $1,466.15
Feb – ShelterCare – $1,517.30
Jan – NAACP of Lane County/ACT SO – $1,501
Dec – Thembanathi – $1,033.31
Nov – Hosea Youth Services – $1,493.76
Oct – Willamette Family – $1,185.71
Sept – HIV Alliance – $955.55
Aug – UUA Service Committee – $1,067
July – Nearby Nature – $715.26
June – Sponsors (women’s program) – $752.50
May – Committed Partners for Youth – $1,161.78
Apr – City of Refuge – $2,214.50
Mar – That’s My Farmer – $1,075.25
Feb – Haiti earthquake relief (through UUA Service Committee) – $1,898.20
Jan – Homeless Connect – $1,632
Dec – Thembanathi – $1,335.55
Nov – Egan Warming Center – $1,332.80
Oct – Oregon Chapter, Alzheimer’s Foundation – $1,497.10
Sept – Community Mediation- $1,270.60
Aug – MIUSA – $828
July – Blues in the Schools – $932.61
June – Stove Project – $748.50
May – Cascadia Wildlands – $1,140.82
Apr – That’s My Farmer – $1,589.07
Mar – Relief Nursery – $1,649.86
Feb – Kids for Kids (Darfur) – $1,637.54
Jan – Haiti earthquake relief (through UUA Service Committee) – $3,703.91
Dec – Thembanathi – $1,296.81
Nov – Homeless Connect – $1,727.80
Oct – Sexual Assault Support Services – $1,744.91
Sept – Community Alliance of Lane County – $2,376.97
Aug – Cascade Medical Team – $1,087
July – The Arc of Lane County – $822.57
June – New Hope Cambodia – $1,434
May – Doulas for Teens – $1,166.60
Apr – That’s My Farmer – $1,373.50
Mar – Healing Harvest – $1,568.01
Feb – Next Step Recycling – $2,169.70
Jan – Huerto de la Familia – $2,134.60
Dec – Thembanathi – $1,382.50
Nov – Centro Latino Americano – $1,425.31
Oct – Start Making a Reader Today – $1,412.15
Sept – School Garden Project – $1,444.20
Aug – Senior Connections – $1,148
July – Camp UKanDu – $980.44
June – That’s My Farmer – $1,180.07
May – Station 7 (Looking Glass) – $1,594.47
Apr – Lane Community College/Women in Transition – $1,819.08
Mar – Lane County Darfur Committee – $2,730
Feb – Community Alliance of Lane County – $1,708.04
Jan – Guest At Your Table (UUA Service Committee) – $1,645.33
Dec – First Place (St Vincent dePaul; rain gear for preschoolers) – $1,764.69
Nov – Sponsors – $2,272
Oct – LGBTQ support group – $1,447.58
Sept – Laurel Hill Center – $1,995.23
Aug – Breaking Away – $778.50
July – ACCHORD Music Mentorship – $738.83
June – Habitat for Humanity – $983.50
May – LEAD – $1,577.15
Apr – Center for Community Counseling – $1,589.22
Mar – That’s My Farmer – $1,438
Feb – Court Appointed Special Advocates – $1,435.81
Jan – Network for Reproductive Options – $1,362.95
Dec – Committed Partners for Youth – $1,358.90
Nov – Whiteaker Community Thanksgiving Dinner – $1,418.09
Oct – Grassroots Garden (FOOD for Lane County – $1,860.43
Aug and Sept – No collection
July – Hosea Youth – $965
June – First Place Family Shelter (St Vincent dePaul) – $1,336.74
May – Womenspace – $1,244.73
Apr (launch of program) – Birth To Three – $1,472.99