Helping Hands
Helping Hands Outreach Program
The Helping Hands Outreach Program is a unique and important part of our church community allowing us to reach out beyond our walls and put our faith into action.
A generous donor has contributed $10,000 to establish a yearly outreach fund for UUCR. The overall intent of the project is to educate the entire church community about the work of local non-profits that are in alignment with UU values, to enter into a working partnership with a selected local non-profit, and to have multi-generational opportunities for service and meaningful experiences. The way we do this is special, and created in a way to engage our children into the larger life of the church community. In the words of the donor: the goal of this fund is “to help children and adults learn the value of giving and to gain a first hand experience in understanding and promoting UU principles locally.”
Our partner for this church year (2011-2012) is The Food Project, a 501 C 3 non-profit organization that encourages hundreds of teenagers and thousands of volunteers to imagine a place where all people have access to fresh, local food regardless of their income or neighborhood. The Food Project fosters sustainable farming practices and encourages people of all ages to come together and build a productive community across barriers of race, class and geography. The Food Project farms on 37 acres in eastern Massachusetts in the towns and cities of Beverly, Boston, Ipswich and Lincoln. The Food Project places teens in unusually responsible roles, with deeply meaningful work. Food from their farms is distributed through Community Supported Agriculture programs, Farmers' Markets, and to hunger relief organizations.
The Helping Hands Steering Team is currently looking for 3-4 people interested in the topic of food to join the team to help shepherd the project throughout the year. We are looking for folks who enjoy project management and have organization skills. We need a steering committee to help us prioritize to create a plan and then execute the plan.
If you are interested or need more information please contact Laura Hackel by phone at 781-820-1654 or by email using the link below.
