With Money

Union supports a variety of causes during the year through special collections, holiday collections, and One Great Hour of Sharing. Financial support is often the most practical response to areas of the world with a variety of needs. By partnering with responsible agencies we trust that our support will be distributed where the need is greatest.

Recently, these included funds to help build a health clinic in Yambio, Sudan, funding to help outfit the New Corps Community Center kitchen for the Salvation Army here in Montclair, and funds to build a classroom for a new school being built in Pastores, Guatemala to help break the cycle of poverty in the region.

We continue to support local organizations that do important work in human services, including the Human Needs Food Pantry, Toni's Kitchen and CUMAC, who received food and time donations; aid to Katrina victims on the Gulf Coast; and support for local individuals suffering from mental illness. We support fair labor practices by purchasing Fair Trade food and are exploring ways to become a greener congregation. This year we have joined with local area religious institutions to create a faith-based community action organization (New Jersey Together at Montclair) to effect positive change in our area.

Hands-on mission this year included Habitat for Humanity work days in Newark; cooking for and serving at Christine's Kitchen in West Orange; Interfaith Hospitality Network, a multi-denominational program to house and care for the temporarily homeless; SCEEP; CROP Walk and the Souper Bowl to fight world hunger. We continued our adult mission trips with a group helping to rebuild New Orleans neighborhoods and a youth mission trip to Tennessee to renovate and paint local homes.  The Alternative Christmas Fair helped us support several local organizations while finding the perfect gifts for people on our lists.