To help the congregation learn more about and better understand a variety of social justice/community service issues and organizations and offer us ways to support them, the Social Action Committee coordinates Social Action Shared Offerings (SASO).

Approximately eight times a year (usually monthly throughout the school year), the Sunday collection - traditionally used for the church’s operations - is instead taken for a designated organization outside the church. The goal is to not only raise money for these local, national, and international organizations, but also to raise awareness about a wide variety of social justice issues and the groups and organizations that are doing great work to solve the problems and make a tangible difference.

Efforts and activities related to the SASOs include:

• Newsletter articles identifying and describing the organization, cause, or issue designated for the month’s SASO.

• Information about the issue and/or representatives of related organizations at the Social Action table after church during the month.

• Programs, speakers, films, or discussions about the topic after church or during the week; incorporation of the topic into outreach and youth programs as possible.

Recent SASO Recipients:

Oxfam International 
Southern Poverty Law Center
Red Rose School (Nairobi, Kenya)
Canton’s Church and Community Program
Angel Trax
TRIAD of Potsdam
UUA Fair Share
Lambda Legal Defense Fund
WaterPartners
Habitat for Humanity
GardenShare
Project Green Teams
Nueva Esperanza del Norte
UUSC Relief Efforts in Darfur, Southern California, Kenya, and Myanmar
Engineers Without Borders