Each week this congregation gives half of all offerings collected in our plate to local organizations whose work furthers our mission. Here are some of our prior recipients. All members and friends are invited to nominate an organization that they’re familiar with or inspired by.

• Share the Plate – 11/8 & 11/15 OutReach Rainbow Roof Fund

  The Share the Plate for Sundays November 8 and 15 is the OutReach LGBTQ+ Community Center Rainbow Roof Fund. Founded in 2011 by drag performer Willma Flynn-Stone, the Dane County rental assistance program has provided more than $400,000 in assistance to over 750 LGBTQ+ adults and families for securing or keeping housing. What began as a small, volunteer-run emergency fund that drew support from drag and burlesque performances now provides more than $45,000 annually to help our queer community members avoid eviction, cover a security deposit, or move from homelessness into a safer place to live. Since the program’s inception, the need has continued to grow, as family rejection, discrimination and poverty can put LGBTQ+ people at greater risk of losing housing; and those who become unhoused may also struggle to find safety in shelters divided by gender. Thank you to Deb Myrbo for nominating them. 

• Share the Plate – 10/25 & 11/1 Madison Reading Project

  The Share the Plate for Sundays October 25 and November 1 is The Madison Reading Project. Madison Reading Project connects our community with free books and literacy resources that ignite a love for reading and affirm and reflect the diversity of young readers. On a search for reading resources, founder Rowan Childs discovered the alarming statistics associated with literacy rates and book ownership of families experiencing poverty. They currently serve thousands of families, schools and community organizations in Dane and Sauk counties by providing free books, and offering fun and engaging literacy programs to children and educators. They are the official local Literacy Champion of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. Through this exciting partnership, children from birth to age five receive a high-quality, age-appropriate book each month, personalized with the child’s name and mailed directly to the child’s home, to create a gifting experience that makes books exciting and ignites the joy of reading. They were nominated by Eva Wingren.

• Share the Plate – 10/11 & 10/18 Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission

  The Share the Plate recipient for Sunday, October 11 and 18 is the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission. Since 1984, GLIFWC has served eleven Ojibwe tribes in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan who reserved treaty rights with the US government in 1836, 1837, 1842 and 1854. GLIFWC advances land and water stewardship, restoration, education and outreach in support of indigenous treaty rights throughout the ceded territories.

• Share the Plate – 9/27 & 10/4 Goodman Thanksgiving Baskets

  The Share the Plate for Sundays Sept 27th and Oct 4th is Goodman Community Center Thanksgiving Baskets. This is the place in our schedule where this recipient fits best and the money can be delivered in time to help.  The Goodman Community Center on the near east side has been giving away Thanksgiving baskets for decades, providing families with everything they need to make a traditional Thanksgiving meal at home. They started by serving several hundred families. This year they will serve four thousand – that’s more than 25,000 Dane County residents (including more than 10,000 children!

• Share the Plate – 9/13/26 and 9/20/26 – Meadville Lombard

  The Share the Plate recipient for Sunday, September 13 and 20 is Meadville Lombard Theological School’s General Scholarship Fund. As a new school year gets underway, Meadville Lombard is nurturing learners from diverse faith traditions to embody the collaborative work of liberation through congregational and community leadership. They are carrying forward the Living Tradition of Unitarian Universalism as a new generation of critically needed, progressive faith leaders emerges, following more than 180 years of theological education rooted in the sacred work of repairing, rebuilding, and the restoration of justice, equity and compassion. They were nominated by Rev. Denise in honor of all the alumni ministers JRUUC has encountered.

• Share the Plate – 8/30/26 and 9/6/26 Worker Justice Wisconsin

  The Share the Plate for Sundays August 30th and September 6th is Worker Justice Wisconsin. Worker Justice Wisconsin partners with low-wage and immigrant non-unionized workers in their struggle for dignity at work by building collective power together with faith and labor allies. They empower workers to stand up for their rights and fight for a just and living wage for all, paid time off for all, workplaces free from discrimination and harassment, opportunities for collective bargaining without retaliation, and a healthy work life balance. Worker Justice Wisconsin was nominated by the Worship Team.

• Share the Plate – 8/9/26 and 8/16/26 OutReach

  The Share the Plate recipient for August 9th and 16th is OutReach LGBTQ+ Community Center. Outreach is a trusted gathering place in Madison and south central Wisconsin dedicated to advancing equity, connection, and well-being for LGBTQ+ people. For more than 50 years, they’ve offered supportive programs, services, and inclusive spaces where people build community and feel celebrated. They host the annual Magic Pride Festival at Warner Park happening this year on August 16. Thank you to Mary Schaper for the nomination! 

• Share the Plate – 7/26/26 and 8/2/26 Fire Help Fund

  The Share the Plate for July 26 and August 2 will be the United Way of Northeastern Minnesota’s Fire Help fund. 
  Thousands of people in northeastern Minnesota remain displaced or on standby as wildfires continue to burn across the region. UWNEMN is closely monitoring the Boundary Waters wildfires and working with their colleagues in disaster relief and recovery for the communities impacted. All funds raised go directly to support local disaster relief and recovery efforts.

• Share the Plate – 7/12/26 and 7/19/26 Friends of Cherokee Marsh

  The Share the Plate recipient for Sunday, July 12 and 19, is the Friends of Cherokee Marsh. The Friends of Cherokee Marsh is a nonprofit organization of volunteers that collaborates with professional staff at Madison Parks, Dane County Parks, and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources to protect, restore, and promote enjoyment of the wetlands and uplands of the Cherokee Marsh, Dane County’s largest wetland. They were nominated by Drew Lehmann.

• Share the Plate – 6/28/26 and 7/5/26 Natural Path Sanctuary

  Our Share the Plate recipient for 6/28/26 and 7/5/26 is Natural Path Sanctuary. The Natural Path Sanctuary serves two purposes – providing a natural burial grounds and supporting the Farley Center. The Natural Path Sanctuary is the only green burial grounds in the world helping support a farm incubator and peace and justice initiatives. The Farley Center is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting ecological sustainability, social justice, and peace. It is located outside of Verona, WI. Thank you to Jeanette Clawson for nominating them!

Share the Plate Past Recipients

2024

• Allied Food Pantry
• Great Turning Hospitality House
• Get Kids Outside Wisconsin

2023

• Odyssey Behind Bars
• Wheels for Winners
• Raza United
• Veterans for Peace
• Wilma’s Fund
• Ho-Chunk Housing and CDA
• Centro Hispano
• Operation Fresh Start
• GSAFE
• One City Schools
• Moms On a Mission
• Black Business Hub
• UUSC
• Urban Triage – Inspired House
• Centro Hispano (x2)
• White Helmets
• Nehemiah Center for Urban Leadership and Development
• Illustrated English Dictionaries for Madison Public Schools
• UUA Disaster Relief Fund
• Neighborhood Food Solutions
• Yahara House

2022

• Community Action Coalition
• Ho-Chunk Housing and Community Development Agency
• Goodman Community Center
• Movin’ Out
• Community Immigration Law Center
• Briarpatch
• Solace Friends, Inc
• UW Nurses Union
• Literacy Network
• League of Women Voters
• The River Food Pantry
• Women’s Medical Fund
• POWERS
• Focused Interruption
• Urban Triage
• UU Service Committee’s Emergency Fund
• The Farley Center
• The Catfish River 4H
• The Progress Center for Black Women
• Social Justice Center
• Wisconsin Network for Peach and Justice and Sustainability
• WUUSAN
• Wisconsin Faith Voices for Justice
• The Center for Black Excellence and Culture
• The River Food Pantry

2021

• Catalyst for Change
• East High Food Pantry
• Porchlight Drop-In Shelter
• Goodman Center Thanksgiving Baskets
• MOSES
• Open Doors for Refugees
• Worker Justice Wisconsin
• JSS Madison Refugee Resettlement Project
• Madison Tenant Power
• Freedom Inc Books & Breakfast
• Honor the Earth
• Madison Adaptive Cycling
• TRUUst
• DRUUM
• Wisconsin Network for Peace Justice & Sustainability
• Safe Skies Clean Water
• DANEnet
• Second Harvest
• Domestic Abuse Intervention Services
• Women in Focus
• Giniw Collective
• Tenant Resource Center
• Occupy Madison Village
• River Food Pantry