In 2020 Social Justice Ministry chose to focus on the core areas of Sanctuary, Solidarity, Hunger and Homelessness and Antiracism. We have sponsored hands-on activities, publicized and attended events, and allocated money to organizations working in these areas. Following is a description of those groups:
In 2020 our Accompaniment team worked closely with Interfaith Movement for Human Integrity, which “connects clergy and people of faith to the work of social justice, especially to make the criminal justice system more just, and the immigration system more fair and humane.” www.im4humanintegrity.org
South Bay Sanctuary Covenant (SBSC) is an interfaith organization of churches and individuals in the South Bay Area. They help support a partner community in El Salvador and support refugees who have fled from Central America. www.southbaysanctuarycovenant.weebly.com
The Day Worker Center of Mountain View connects workers and employers in a safe and supportive environment and empowers workers through fair employment, education and job skills training. In 2020 they also provided free meals to people who needed them. www.dayworkercentermv.org
Puente is the only Community Resource Center serving the San Mateo County South Coast. Puente “advocates for the communities and leverages resources that foster economic prosperity and security, and that promote individual and community health and wellness.” www.mypuente.org
Immanuel House provides newly arrived refugees seeking freedom from persecution with transitional housing and the opportunity to thrive in their new home. www.immanuelhousesj.org
Multifaith Voices for Peace and Justice (MVPJ) represents diverse faith communities who put convictions into action by saying NO to war and YES to peace and justice. This year they sponsored Peaceful Presence services on the 11th of each month. www.multifaithpeace.org
Trans HeartLine “builds bridges between Faith, Spirituality, and Gender through safe post-op housing and community education.” www.transheartline.org
More Light Presbyterians works for the full participation of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people in the life, ministry and witness of the PC(USA) and in society. www.mlp.org
Presbyterian Peace Fellowship (PPF) encourages us “to take seriously God’s call to participate in God’s nonviolent work of love, peace, and justice in the world.” www.presbypeacefellowship.org
Peninsula Peace and Justice(PPJC) has long been the local area’s leading grassroots voice for peace, justice and human rights. They host speakers, forums and an annual Harvest/Holiday Fair at FPCPA. www.peaceandjustice.org
United Campus Christian Ministry (UCCM) at Stanford is a progressive Christian fellowship which “welcomes all students and is dedicated to exploring spirituality and social justice.” www.uccmpa.com
Youth Community Service (YCS) “builds life skills and leadership through meaningful service learning experiences that encourage youth to make purposeful school and life choices.” www.youthcommunityservice.org
Ecumenical Hunger Project (EHP) in East Palo Alto strives to “sustain our neighbors through immediate crises and help them regain stability and independence.” One quarter of the money that our Church World Service Crop Walk team raises is given to EHP. www.ehpcares.org
LifeMoves (originally Urban Ministry) combines interim housing with comprehensive services that enable homeless families and individuals to find a rapid return to stable housing and self-sufficiency. We participate in their Opportunity Center and Hotel de Zink ministries. www.lifemoves.org
Heart and Home Collaborative operates a cold-weather shelter for unhoused women at churches in Palo Alto. We support them with donations and hosted them for six weeks in 2020. www.hhcollab.org
Rise Against Hunger is “an international hunger relief organization that distributes food and life-changing aid to the world’s most vulnerable.” We have packed meals for them for several years. In 2020, we donated to them instead of hosting a packing event. www.riseagainsthunger.org
Among other projects, Downtown Streets operates a food closet in downtown Palo Alto. We usually support them with donations of food, but in 2020 we donated money. www.streetsteam.org
In 2020 we made small donations to the Poor People’s Campaign, two churches in Flint, MI, who are dealing with their water crisis, the San Jose Presbytery Fire Relief for repair work on the Bonny Doon church, and to a holiday drive for the Standing Rock Sioux.