Outreach Opportunities Fund
The Outreach Opportunities Fund Committee selects outside organizations to receive a portion of the Sunday offering.
Outreach Opportunities Fund (OOF)
Chair: Yvonne Marcus
Statement of Purpose:
To distribute 25% of funds collected during the Sunday service to community charities, both those that are independent of the church and those that have some connection to the work of church teams. Priority is given to organizations undertaking social justice, refugee support and settlement and environmental sustainability work with a focus on vulnerable or other marginalized communities. Preference for funding is given to groups working primarily in Vancouver and the Lower Mainland.
Members:
Cecilia Gruber, Jennifer Malcolm, and Melody Mason
Current Recipient
Our current OOF recipient is the HomeStart Foundation (March 2023-June 2023).
“The mission of the HomeStart Foundation is to redistribute safe, clean, functional furniture in a professional, dignified manner, from those who want to share to those who are truly in need. We are a nonprofit Christian humanitarian organization. We pick up and receive donated usable furniture – furniture a person or family needs to set up a home. We distribute the donated items to families and individuals to help them turn their empty housing into a furnished home. HomeStart Foundation provides these basic items, free of charge, to people who have been homeless, with the goal of helping them achieve self-sufficiency, self-esteem, and long-term stability.” – HomeStart Foundation
The Refugee Team suggested HomeStart as an OOF recipient. A few months ago, George from the Refugee team, visited the HomeStart warehouse and selected furniture for our recent Burundian refugee. This included dressers, shelving, kitchen table+chairs, end tables, lamps, sofa, and armchairs – a complete apartment excluding beds which we are required to supply new. Homestart delivered all of this to the apartment on the same day at no cost to us. This saved the refugee team hundreds of dollars and much time, eliminating a major worry!
Homestart could also benefit the UCV congregation by providing our members with an economical means for down-sizers to donate unwanted furniture. Homestart charges donors a reasonable $75 to have 2 people come to a location in their serving area and pickup donated items which are taken to their warehouse for re-distribution to those in need. They accept pre-arranged drop-offs at no charge to donors. Refugee team members are often approached by UCV members who offer donations of furniture which we can’t accept.
Future Plans
Three organizations will be selected to receive funds from OOF during the next year. In the past, the committee has chosen the recipients but we now ask members of the congregation to nominate local charities for consideration by the committee.
To nominate an organization, please click on this link: OOF Nomination Form or take a paper form from the bulletin board at the main entrance to Hewett Hall and leave it in the OOF mailbox in the UCV office or email it to Yvonne Marcus.
Previous Recipients
Here are some of the organizations we have supported in the past.
2023
Overdose Prevention Society $2000
2022
Pivot Legal Society $2000
Wild Bird Trust of British Columbia $2000
2021
The Treehouse $3000
Mood Disorders Association of BC $2500
Indian Residential School Survivors Society $5000
Quest Outreach Society $2500
2020
Aboriginal Mother Centre $2000
PHS Community Services Society $2000
Burns Bog Conservation Society $2000
2019
West Coast Environmental Law $4010
Downtown Eastside Women’s Centre $2367
Sole Food Street Farms $2000
2018
Kiwassa Neighbourhood House (to be allocated to Warriors Against Violence) $2693
OWL Orphaned Wildlife Rehabilitation Society $1635
Rainbow Refugee Coalition $2000
2017
RAVEN Trust $2810
Qmunity $2800
Portland Hotel Society for activities related to Overdose Prevention Society $1681
Community Legal Assistance Society $2025
2016
Kinbrace – $1500.00
Vancity Community Foundation for activities related to Raise the Rates & Single Mother’s Alliance $3,000.00
2015
Mom2Mom – Child Poverty Initiative $2,000
Kinbrace $2000
2014
Pedal Foundation $400
ARA Mental Health (Action, Research and Advocacy) $1600
West Coast Mental Health Network $2000
2013
Covenant House (no record)
ACORN $2500
Kinbrace $3000
Aunt Leah’s Place $2500
2012
ACORN $2500
BC Coalition of People with Disabilities now the Disability Alliance $2500
Elizabeth Fry Society $1000
Rhizome Movement Building Centre $1500
VAST $1500
2011
Elizabeth Fry Society $2500