Thanks to 2024’s very successful Spring Sale, the UUCP Social Outreach Grants Committee were able to award $31,324 to charitable organizations working in the local area. At the UUCP Board’s direction, we considered larger grants and placed a strong emphasis on congregational involvement for the organizations applying. The results are listed below. The 2023-2024 Social Outreach Grant Committee consisted of Gareth Funka-Lea, Drake Baer, Jane Demaio, Valerie Haynes, Louise Senior and Farooq Zama. Please consider sponsoring an organization in the fall of 2024 for our grant awards in 2025.

Grant Awards:

• Arm In Arm: $2,000 Help two clients to obtain or restore driver’s licenses.
• Bayard Rustin Center for Social Justice: $3,500 Support work to improve accessibility of their building.
• The Chubby’s Project: $2,250 To increase access to fresh food for the supported families.
• Friends for the Abbott Marshlands: $1,674 (new grantee) Fund an intern from the Trenton area to work this summer at the Abbot Marshlands.
• Good Grief: $2,000 Peer support for families that have experienced the death of a family member.
• HomeFront: $1,650 Support their Emergency Food Program.
• The Jewish Center Interfaith Refugee Resettlement: $3,000 Driving instruction and dental care for refugees.
• National Alliance on Mental Illness of Mercer County: $2,000 Towards their ongoing programs in education, support and outreach.
• Peace Action Education Fund: $1.750 To support their annual Conference and Multifaith Service for Peace.
• Princeton Community Housing, Inc.: $2,500 To help provide transportation for low-income seniors living in Princeton.
• Solidaridad: $2,000 Transition to a staff-based organization from all volunteer. Helps with asylum application filings.
• South Brunswick Social Services: $2,000 (new grantee) Culturally Responsive Food Pantry Initiative.
• Trenton Area Soup Kitchen (TASK): $2,500 To purchase food for needy people in the greater Trenton area.
• Womanspace: $2,500 Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Community Prevention Program.