Social Concerns
Monthly Meetings
The Social Concerns Committee meets in the UUUS library on the last Sunday of each month, at 11:45 AM. Everyone is welcome. If you have questions, or wish to volunteer, contact Dawn Foster or the UUUS office.
UUUS Charitable Involvement
- Ongoing Food & Clothing Drive for the Coalition for the Homeless of Central Florida
- UUUS Share the Plate Program
- Coalition for the Homeless of Central Florida www.centralfloridahomeless.org
- Office for Farm Worker Ministry www.offm.org
- Planned Parenthood of Central Florida www.plannedparenthood.org
- Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida www.foodbankcentralflorida.org
- We are partnered with Equal Exchange for Fair Trade products, including Coffee, Tea, Cocoa, Chocolate, Pecans, etc. and part of every purchase goes directly to fund the programs of the UUSC.nvironmental Concerns
Speaking Out Against Immigration Reform:
David Rummell of the Social Concerns Committee compiled the following information to assist you with letting your state representatives know in advance that an immigration law like that of Alabama is not acceptable in the state of Florida.- Find your local Senator
- Find your state Representative
Once on this site, click the "find your representative button."
Here's a suggested message to deliver to your senator and representative. Copy and paste into an email or document:
A group of us recently attended a program that focused on immigration. It was very informative and helped me to bring the subject into clearer view. As your constituent, it's my duty to share with you my positions on this issue so you may better represent me if and when legislation on this matter comes to a vote in the state of Florida.
I am opposed to extreme immigration legislation at the state level like that recently passed by the state of Alabama. It is a myth that undocumented Latino workers were taking jobs that unemployed American citizens living in Alabama had lost. When you compare the skill sets of these two demographics, they couldn't be further apart.
Furthermore, both the agricultural and construction industries have historically relied on undocumented workers to meet their seasonal demand for labor. The low pay and long hours of both of these industries have typically prevented Americans from working these jobs.
The immigration legislation passed by the state of Alabama has driven these undocumented workers from the state and left a catastrophic labor shortage in both agriculture and construction. Crops are literally rotting on the vine. If similar legislation were passed here, given the role agriculture and construction play in the Florida economy, the impact would be devastating.
Immigration is a federal, not state matter. I want broad, meaningful immigration reform. These undocumented workers need to be given the choice of joining the fabric of our culture or returning to their native countries. Those that stay must pay taxes and do their fair share to support the standard of living that brought them here. There are millions of undocumented immigrants in this country; the taxes they are not paying are a source of revenue that we cannot afford to do without.
Local Support Information:
- FOCUS is a grassroots, multicultural, interdenominational community organization that empowers families with leadership
training and skills that build relationships for community change. The mission of FOCUS is to develop grassroots leaders
and empower people to take action to improve the quality of life for families in Orange County.
(Note: Isabel Caridad Fernandez spoke to the TripleU on 2009-09-20. Listen to her talk on the Audio Page.)
www.focusorlando.org - HOPE Foundation works to prevent & reduce homelessness in Central Florida by equipping individuals & families to become
self-sufficient through Housing, Outreach, Prevention & Education. Sonshine Community Thrift and Food Pantry, 149 E. Broadway,
Oviedo, Florida 32765, 407.366.3422.
www.helpforthehomeless.net
Corporations are NOT Citizens
As a society we support Hope Foundation, Planned Parenthood, the Farm Workers of Apopka, 2nd Harvest Food Bank, Coalition for the Homeless, and a separate food drive for the Hope Foundation, also members of our own congregation through Pastoral Concerns. These charity organizations are coming under attack by a coalition of selfish groups.
