In a program called Adopt a Family organized by the Town, churches and other organizations have been asked to purchase $20 gift cards for the refugee adults and teenagers. (St. Vincent de Paul is providing toys for all the children.) Town Manager Jay McGrail asked FUUSM to adopt eight families totaling 21 adults and teens.
On December 4, Governor Healey signed a $250 million funding bill that is expected to cover shelter costs through this spring, with a waitlist that keeps growing. Source: Citizens; Housing & Planning Association (CHAPA) https://www.chapa.org/ In related research reported by CHAPA, the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) found that over 1 in 5 homes sold in the Greater Boston area from 2004 through 2018 were purchase by an investor or speculator.
It was disappointing for Middleboro Matters and the Social Justice Team, as well as the two childcare workers loaned by the YMCA, that no one showed up for the Substance Use Prevention presentation, with hot chocolate and other goodies, on Saturday, December 9. Mae of Middleboro Matters took it in stride, saying “Sometimes people come, sometimes not.” We will try to reschedule in a less hectic season.
In a victory for prisoners and their families, Governor Healey has signed the “Putting Families Over Prison Profiteering” bill, passed by the MA legislature, into law. This establishes Massachusetts as the fifth state in the nation to make prison phone calls free–and the first state to extend the provision to county jails and houses of correction as well as prisons. The new law will end the exorbitant charges prisoners and their families currently pay to stay in touch. It applies to phone and video calls and emails, and goes into effect December 1.
The Cash in the Plate for the month of December will be donated to Doctors Without Borders in light of the casualties and suffering being experienced by Israelis and Palestinians.
…thanks to Alan Melchior, Sarah Person and Jim Bonnar, who got the new banner up on November 25, 2023, within days of the wind storm that brought down the old, worn-out one. You may not even have noticed the banner was missing!
The early part of this church year has been a busy one for us: with major help from Dan Hotchkiss and Val Ortelt, we finalized our section of the church website so that we now provide current information about local social justice events. At our summer retreat we organized our future efforts into 3 categories: Charity, Change, and Education. We hope to offer events and options that appeal to the congregation in all three. Our recent programs included a July presentation on domestic violence that highlighted the problem in Southeastern Massachusetts and featured a talk by “Jane Doe” whose family
The Cash in the Plate for the month of November will be donated to the Matthew Mission Food Pantry located in the First Parish Unitarian Church, Taunton. The Matthew Mission Food Pantry fights hunger with an emphasis on personal dignity.
UUMassAction has launched an Immigration Justice Campaign. The UUMA Immigrant Justice Team meets monthly. You need not attend all meetings. Tuesday, Nov. 14, 2023 and all 2nd Tuesdays, 12:00-1:00 p.m. Click on article to RSVP!
Jeff Giddings reports we have received several gifts to our Refugees Fund from inside and outside the congregation. He is keeping the money in a separate account so it can be identified. Thank you to all who have donated! Meanwhile, Bill has been continuing to push to try to get clarity on the evolving situation, but with limited success. The town Health Department has been doing assessments of individual immigrants regarding school and health needs, with the help of translators.
