Our monthly Social Action Collection uplifts the work of non-profit organizations whose mission and vision are aligned with our mission and our long range plan.
The Social Action Collection (SAC) is our congregation’s outreach to the larger community, both with monetary donations each month but also with engagement in the mission of organizations whose work reflects our values.
See the UUCville 2025-26 Social Action Collection Recipients and see how much money has been raised this fiscal year for each organization.
Set up a recurring donation thru our directory, Breeze. For help email office staff.
by Elizabeth Breeden
Back in the day, Satyendra Huja liked for only 12 groups to apply for the Social Action Collection…so we didn’t have to choose. Over the years, we developed an invitation system from our members who were involved in organizations and asked for those organizations to fill out an application describing their mission and budget. We published the applications on our website. We voted in a meeting where those interested in the SAC heard a 2-minute presentation by each of the organizations and voted on their top choices.
We changed this process last year. We wanted to be actively engaged with the organizations through volunteer involvement. We looked at our 5-Year Mission and Vision and realized we were engaged with organizations that fulfilled the goals of our Mission, but we didn’t have anyone representing Environmental or Criminal Justice. (It was a rush job to choose those two, but we created a wonderful Social Action Fair as a result.) Traditionally, we have had three organizations who are automatically chosen: our own Food Ministry and Hospital Meal Packets and also IMPACT.
Our Mission Statement: Should we use that as a guideline to choose organizations which fulfill our mission?
Engagement: Is our volunteer engagement an important requirement for organizations to receive our money?
Strategic: How should we invite and who should we invite?
Democratic: How should we decide?
In the fiscal year 2025-26, these are the totals for each collection so far:
July – City of Promise – $3885
August – Birth Sisters – $4538
September – PACEM – $4695
October – The Haven – $5182
November – Sin Barreras – $4700
December – PHAR – $4767
January – IMPACT – $2772
February – Food Pantry – $4046
March – Meal Packets – $5270
April – Blue Ridge Abortion Fund – $5294
May – Rivanna Conservation Alliance –
June – Uhuru Foundation –
Get involved with our Social Action Collection beneficiaries: email socialjustice@uucharlottesville.org
A Safe Place to Land. A Real Chance to Rise. Click here to donate during June When men return home after incarceration, the difference between falling back and moving forward is stability. Uhuru creates safe, supportive environments where people can rebuild their lives with dignity, purpose, and hope. The Uhuru...
Social Action Collection (SAC) History of the Process: by Elizabeth Breeden Back in the day, Satyendra Huja liked for only 12 groups to apply for the Social Action Collection…so we didn’t have to choose. Over the years, we developed an invitation system from our members who were involved in organizations...
The Rivanna Conservation Alliance is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit watershed organization created to provide the community with a set of tools and programs specifically designed to help clean and protect the Rivanna River and its tributaries.
For more than 35 years, Blue Ridge Abortion Fund (BRAF) has been providing essential financial support to individuals seeking abortions, ensuring that cost is never a barrier to accessing care. What began in 1989 with a humble jar at a county fair has blossomed into a powerful, community-driven network. Click...
The Hospital Meal Packet Program is a home-grown social action project that has been providing food to people in need since 2010. UUCCville provides meal packets through the Social Work office at the University of Virginia Medical Center. In 2025, we provided 900 meal packets that were distributed to people...
On the first Friday morning of every month, a group of about 15 volunteers receive food from the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank and unload the truck in the Summit House parking lot. We put the food on tables, noting what is USDA and what is “bought food” from the...
Click here to donate during January 2026 IMPACT is a multi-faith coalition of more than 30 local congregations, organizing to empower citizens to create significant change through direct action. IMPACT gets into “good trouble” by using evidence based research to identify causes of injustice and suffering, and then planning effective and achievable actions that...
Click here to donate during December The Charlottesville Public Housing Association of Residents (commonly known as PHAR) was founded in 1998 with the mission of educating and empowering low-income residents to protect and improve our own communities through collective action. PHAR is entirely governed by public housing residents and one...
Sin Barreras’ mission is to empower immigrants and their families in Central Virginia with a focus on the Latinx population by educating, advocating, and supporting their needs. We serve people by phone or in person in our office.
Every day of the year, The Haven provides a refuge, a place where anyone in a housing crisis can come to find the support and resources they need to survive and exit their crisis. We’re a low-barrier day shelter, vital housing services provider, and main point of entry for our...