Social Action

UUC is committed to supporting our shared UU principles through action and service within our congregation, the local community and the broader world. To that end, we support several social action projects throughout the year.  Contact the Social Action Committee for more information about any of these projects.

Interfaith Food Pantry: The Interfaith Food Pantry was formed as a cooperative effort of town churches, and now has more than a dozen donor churches, including the UUC. It serves 800 clients a month currently with approximately $100 to $200 worth of food depending on family size and food availability. The Pantry is staffed by volunteers from participating churches with 2-to-3 volunteers serving each day. Food and monetary donations come from local churches, civic clubs, schools and businesses, VT fraternities/sororities food drives), and the generous bakery and produce donations of the University Kroger and North Main Food Lion. In season, fresh vegetables are donated by local residents, and the Virginia Hunters Association contributes butchered venison. The children’s offering in our RE classes is currently donated to the Interfaith Food Pantry.

To Our House: The UUC partners with other local churches in a program to provide temporary overnight shelter during the harshest winter months for homeless men in the New River Valley. Our role is that of a Support Congregation to the Host Congregations who actually house the men in their churches. We provide food, activities, and companionship for two weeks out of the total time frame which runs from Nov. 1st to March 31st each year. This past year was the first year of the To Our House program, and it was a remarkable success. Twenty-seven different men were the recipients of over 1200 meals, a warm place to sleep, and additional services, such as transition to more permanent housing and job counseling. Over thirty volunteers from the UUC worked with the Blacksburg Presbyterian Church for two weeks last January. All who participated were very positive about their experience. Learn more.

Caring Network: For the past two years, the Caring Network has focused on its Members/Friends Support Program. This has involved the coordination of services, meals, transportation, and child care to those in need. With the recent inclusion of the Network in the Social Action Committee, this program has added the Visitors Program and the Job Squad.

The Visitors Program involves weekly volunteering at a local nursing home in the area. Currently there are six people from the UUC who have received training and are working hard to establish relationships and provide companionship to individuals within the home.

The Job Squad provides labor to individuals within the UUC and wider community who need help doing home-related projects due to their illness or advanced age. We currently have 15 volunteers who do this kind of work, and projects have included cleaning out a mobile home to provide low-income housing for an individual with mental illness, installing an air conditioner, assisting with moving, etc.

PFLAG (Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays): PFLAG is a national organization based in Washington, D.C. that educates, advocates and provides support for those who love and care for members of the gay community, and for LGBTQ persons themselves. As a Welcoming Congregation, UUC is providing a home and meeting place for our local Blacksburg/NRV chapter of PFLAG, which meets the first Monday of each month at 7 p.m. We provide support, plan activities, publicize and participate in events such as Gay Pride in Roanoke, serve on panels at classes at Virginia Tech, and private meetings with individuals who need empathy and understanding. All are welcome to our monthly meetings. Confidentiality is required to afford trust and openness. Follow our local PFLAG chapter on Facebook , or visit their website.

Adopt-a-Highway: As of November, 2010, the UUC became a part of the Adopt-a-Highway program. For the next three years, we are in charge of litter pick-up on two miles of Rt. 460 in Blacksburg.

Green Sanctuary: The UUC Social Action Committee’s survey of the congregation in January, 2007, showed that the environment was the primary concern of members and friends. In response, the Green Team was formed to study and act on that concern. In November 2009, the Unitarian Universalist Association Office of Congregation Stewardship Services formally approved the UUC application for candidacy into the UUA Green Sanctuary Program. Learn more about Green Sanctuary accreditation.

Fourth-Sunday Collections: At the service on the fourth Sunday of each month, all cash in the collected offering goes to a designated charity.

Learn more about planned Fourth Sunday recipients for the 2011/2012 church year.

Learn more about past Fourth Sunday recipients.

Collections of Items: Several collections of needed items will be taken throughout the year. Please check back for more information on current collections.  All current collecitons are listed below.

Montgomery County Christmas Store: On all Sundays, in November and on December 4, the Social Action Committee will be collecting new children’s underwear and winter coats as well as clean, gently used children’s winter coats for the customers of the Christmas Store. If you wish to support this project, please bring your contributions to UUC on one of the collection dates.