Every month a percentage of that month’s Sunday service offering is shared with a local nonprofit, which is commendable. However, those nonprofits touch a fraction of those in need of help. I feel UUCS can and should do better than sharing a percentage of the Sunday service collection. But how can UUCS be better at helping those in need? The choices as I see them are congregational projects helping the needy, empowering individuals, or doing both. Common to all is identifying needs. Talking with social service organizations about the needs of their clients and identifying needy individuals and families is time consuming. If there was only a single point of contact…

There is!

It is the Marion County has its Community Resource Network which I became aware as I was writing this month’s social justice newsletter article. Working through them will provide UUCS many opportunities to help those in need. Network members include schools, churches, businesses, Ford Family Foundation, Salem Health, several Marion County departments, courts, several Mid-Willamette Valley Community Action Agency programs including ARCHES, and many more organizations.

When our application is approved UUCS congregants can sign up to become members of the Marion County Resource Network as members of UUCS. After it is approved This Week at UUCS will mention that we are members. Hopefully UUCS’s website will say something about our membership in the Community Resource Network.

I’d like to hear your ideas on how we can use the Community Resource Network to help the needy. Send me an email at sjt@uusalem.org.

John Prohodsky, Social Justice Chair