Split The Plate

Originally created as Long Islanders for Gun Safety in response to the tragedy in Parkland, we relaunched as Engage Long Island to better reflect our broader mission and goals. As a grassroots group, we mobilize volunteers to stand up for vulnerable communities and our shared progressive ideals. As Upstanders, we engage with voters, advocate on issues (such as gun violence prevention, reproductive freedom, protecting democracy, and LGBTQ+
rights), and serve our communities.
Some of our recent initiatives and events which have required funding include:
◦ Painted canvas tote bags filled with toiletries for Jericho Cares, North Shore Soup Kitchen, and new immigrant mothers
◦ Blanket making for Long Island Coalition for the Homeless
◦ Tie dyed towels for the underserved kids aTected by gun violence that the Scott J. Beigel Memorial Fund sends to sleepaway camp
◦ Garden & Give program where we help home gardeners grow fresh vegetables and herbs for families experiencing food insecurity (ongoing)

Gender Equality New York, Inc. (GENY) is a statewide, incorporated non-profit whose mission is to support transgender, gender non-binary, and intersex (TGNBI) New Yorkers and their families. Our leadership group, made up of active community advocates, believes that justice and equality for this vulnerable community can only be won by an organization built by and of community members who bring their lived experiences and passions to spearhead this needed and important work. GENY is committed to gaining equal rights and ending discrimination as we work to achieve economic, educational, racial, and social equality for our communities. Our mission is to educate, advocate, connect, and empower people to bring equality and justice across New York. This is particularly appropriate as June is LGBTQ+ Pride Month.

Hands Across Long Island, Inc. (HALI) is a grassroots advocacy community founded in 1988 by survivors of the state psychiatric system healing together to thrive in the community.  HALI staff were instrumental in the formation of the first supported housing programs on Long Island, the first mental health awareness walk on Long Island, and the first peer certification and training processes in New York State. HALI offers peer-delivered supports and advocacy for people who experience trauma, mental health issues, substance use, and other life-altering challenges on Long Island and the NYC metro area, creating an empowering community in which people can heal, learn and grow. HALI carries out our Mission through a multitude of services, including Supported Housing, a peer-run Recovery Center, Employment Supports, Homeless Outreach, and Community Bridging. We imagine a world where all people can fulfill their personal vision for a self-directed, meaningful life.

April 2025 Split Plate—Literacy Suffolk

Literacy Suffolk believes that the ability to read, write, and communicate effectively is critical to personal freedom, economic betterment, and the maintenance of a democratic society. Our trained volunteers work with adults who need to improve their English speaking, reading, and writing skills so that they can find employment or a better job, help
their children in school, build better communities, and
participate in our nation’s life in countless ways that
literate people take for granted. The National Literacy Act defines literacy as “an individual’s ability to read, write, and speak in English, compute, and solve problems at levels of proficiency necessary to function on the job and in society, to achieve one’s goals, and to develop one’s knowledge and potential.” By that definition, about one in seven Suffolk County adults is illiterate, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. This affects their employment opportunities. In fact, about 30 percent of Literacy Suffolk students are unemployed. Since its founding in 1978, Literacy Suffolk has helped
long-time residents and immigrants from 47 countries
through programs for Basic Literacy Learners (BLL) and
English Language Learners (ELL).

Rev. Mwibutsa (“mwee-BOOT-sah”), formerly Rev. Fulgence, is the former minister of the UU church in Burundi, which Helen Boxwill and several others from UUFH visited several years ago.  The little church was ransacked afterwards in the ongoing political violence in that country, and Rev. Mwibutsa was arrested, jailed, and tortured before he was able to flee to Canada, where he resides today. Flaming Chalice International was set up to support refugees after Rev. Mwibutsa and half of his congregation left the country.  It has supported education, small businesses, and livelihoods for refugees in East Africa. It later extended its work in Burundi to supporting women and young people as they develop income-generating activities. Flaming Chalice International now has a project named “Brilliant minds support”. This project consists of supporting brilliant school-going children who are doing very well in school but come from families with little means.  The children risk dropping out and wasting potential opportunities for themselves, their families, and society.  Flaming Chalice International supported 100 families with children in Burundi in 2024 with school supplies, uniforms, shoes and any other items needed at school, and has a current goal of supporting 200. Some families also need support for income-generating activities so that when children come from school, there is food at the table. About $250 is required for each family that is supported.

NAACP Huntington Branch

The vision of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is to ensure a society in which all individuals have equal rights without discrimination based on race. Founded in 1909, the NAACP is the nation’s oldest and largest civil rights organization. From the ballot box to the classroom, the thousands of dedicated workers, organizers, leaders, and members who make up the NAACP continue to fight for social justice for all Americans. The Huntington Branch works with the state and national NAACP offices to strengthen their commitment to supporting equality and justice in the Huntington community. This is an annual contribution by UUFH to the Huntington NAACP for Black History Month.

Unitarian Universalist Disaster Relief Fund—California Wildfires and Other Disasters

Your donation allows the UUA to respond flexibly to current disaster needs as well as to new emergency situations as they arise. The Disaster Relief Fund disburses grants to UU congregations and recognized UU non-profit entities. At least two UU churches in Pasadena had members impacted by the recent fires. Our Disaster Relief Fund is part of a covenant between the UUA and congregations, between congregations who give generously and those in need, and with our community partners. Through this work, we can embody our faith and values.

How can a young person learn about the world around them and expand their mind, while understanding more about themselves in the process?   A fantastic way is through the power of reading! How do children learn to read without having any books to read. Imagine a school for 4,500 children with just 10 books! Imagine never having the wonder of a picture book in your hands. h² Empower is dedicated to doing its part to end this drought of literature. Since starting in 2003, h² Empower, with support from UUFH and many others, has sent 95,000 books to schools throughout Ethiopia and their efforts are ongoing.

Starting this February h² Empower will provide 36 primary schools throughout Central Ethiopia with 10 multilingual picture books printed in Ethiopia, as well as an additional 30 books to the school libraries. Accessing locally created books can develop literacy skills, the joy of reading, and transform lives. Please help UUFH to aid Helen Boxwill and h² Empower in this important effort to make a difference in the lives of children.

HIHI, the Huntington Interfaith Homeless Initiative, is a Huntington-wide effort to address homelessness right here in our community. HIHI offers homeless individuals in Huntington a safe, warm place to spend the night during the winter months. Comprised of more than 35 local congregations, and in conjunction with the Family Service League, these groups provide housing, clothing, a hot dinner, breakfast and a bag lunch to participants. Many of you volunteered for HIHI in the past and know how important this mission is to UUFH. Since COVID, homeless individuals are housed in hotels and the need for funding is greater than ever before.

The Mission of the Huntington African American Museum is to provide a forum for those interested in African American History and culture to explore and celebrate the contributions of African Americans’ lifestyle, culture, art and traditions through education, exhibits and programs with an emphasis on Huntington’s African American History. The museum will highlight a collection of African American artifacts, documents, photographs, and other archival collections that will educate visitors of all ages about Huntington’s African American history and culture. Through engaging exhibits, interactive displays, and educational programs, we aim to foster understanding, appreciation, and unity within our diverse community.
Note that UUFH is also hosting a fundraiser for the Museum on Saturday, November 16th at 6:30 PM.

The non-for-profit arm of the Huntington Youth Bureau is the Huntington Youth Bureau Youth Development Research Institute, Inc. The Institute was established in 1979, and has as its primary goal the creation, promotion and implementation of programs and services, which stress youth development and meets the expressed and demonstrated needs of youth and their families in the Town of Huntington. It helps runaway and homeless youth, at risk youth, youth in crisis and youth in need of employment, and aids with independent living skills, civic engagement and career planning. The HYB Institute is a community and government partnership.

Community Solidarity is America’s largest all-vegetarian hunger relief food program. Their philosophy is that compassion for people, animals, and the environment goes hand in hand. Every week Community Solidarity assists thousands of families by sharing free nutritious vegetarian groceries and hot gourmet vegan meals. Much of this food is “rescued” and would otherwise be thrown out as waste. Community Solidarity has a food share every Tuesday night in Huntington Station for free groceries, clothing and warm meals for anyone in need. The goal is to empower the community and community members by helping to alleviate the burdens of poverty.

Founded in 1996, Splashes of Hope is a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating art to transform spaces, enrich environments, and facilitate healing. Splashes of Hope creates artwork for positive change, transforming medical and social service centers into welcoming, positive environments for patients and staff. Their custom-designed artwork, including for Huntington Hospital, is designed to comfort patients during treatment, healing, and recovery by providing a soothing and uplifting visual focus. Each mural is designed to address the unique needs of the patients, their families, and the staffs that care for them. Splashes of Hope is headquartered next door to UUFH in Coindre Hall and has reached all 50 states across the US, and internationally in France, Italy, and Ukraine.

Founded in 1993, Pride for Youth (PFY) is a service and an advocate for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer/questioning (LGBTQ+) individuals. Their mission is to enhance the health and wellness of the LGBTQ+ community through education, supportive services, and personal development. With offices and services in both Nassau and Suffolk county they served over 9,000 individuals from Long Island and Queens last year alone. Now during Pride Month, PFY needs your generosity more than ever so that they may continue doing what they do best – meeting the needs of the LGBTQ+ community of Long Island and Queens.

The Wildlife Center of Long Island is dedicated to preserving a sustainable future for Long Island’s wildlife. With few peers across the region, they are focused on native wildlife rehabilitation and care for over 2,200 orphaned and injured wild patients each year. The best way to preserve wildlife and its habitat is through education. The Wildlife Center of Long Island provides over 200 education and outreach programs annually, reaching thousands of adults and children to foster a love and appreciation for Long Island’s wildlife. Volunteers from the Wildlife Center of Long Island will be visiting the UUFH Religious Education program on May 19th to present an educational program for the children.

Book Fairies began in 2012 with the goal of fostering the love of reading in children and has grown to be the largest book donation organization in the Tri-State area. We gather new and gently used books and place them into the hands of eager children living in under-resourced areas across Long Island, New York City, and internationally. Our model removes the financial and access barrier by directly supporting literacy programs and building school, classroom, and home libraries.

The Long Island Doula Association (LIDA) is a multi-professional organization operating on the paradigm that pregnancy, birth, and postpartum are normal processes and that with proper support and education families can be empowered during this time. LIDA and its members provide evidence-based information and positive support, education, and care for women in the early stages of motherhood, from conception through postpartum. The Community Support Fund helps those who may be facing financial hardship, have had a death of a partner, have a history of or current postpartum depression, or those at risk such as teen parents, single parents, or have serious illness.

NAACP Huntington Branch Scholarship Fund
The vision of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is to ensure a society in which all individuals have equal rights without discrimination based on race. Founded in 1909, the NAACP is the nation’s oldest and largest civil rights organization. From the ballot box to the classroom, the thousands of dedicated workers, organizers, leaders, and members who make up the NAACP continue to fight for social justice for all Americans. The Huntington Branch works with the state and national NAACP offices to strengthen their commitment to supporting equality and justice in the Huntington community.

New Hour (For Women and Children) was founded to provide meaningful support to current and formerly incarcerated women, their children, and families. New Hour builds community to promote successful re-entry and lasting reintegration, and to reform unjust criminal justice system policies. New Hour’s vision is to empower justice impacted women and provide successful support for mothers and children. By providing parenting skills, work skills, and wellness programs during and after incarceration, New Hour aims to give women the tools needed to become powerful change agents for themselves, their community, and their children. (New Hour’s Executive Director, Serena Martin-Liguori, was the guest speaker at the November 5, 2023, UUFH Sunday Service.)

HIHI (Huntington Interfaith Homeless Initiative) offers homeless individuals in Huntington a safe, warm place to spend the night during the winter months, December through March. Comprised of more than 35 local congregations and in cooperation with the Suffolk County Family Service League, these groups provide housing, clothing, a hot dinner, breakfast, and bag lunch to participants. Many of you have volunteered for HIHI before and know how important this mission is to UUFH.

The Supreme Court has overturned Roe v. Wade and eliminated our federal constitutional right to abortion. Planned Parenthood health centers, including the Huntington health center, will continue to provide care as best they can, and Planned Parenthood will keep fighting to ensure you have access to the health care services, education, and access you need to control your body, your life, and your future. Patients need Planned Parenthood, and Planned Parenthood needs contributions to continue to protect and provide care, no matter what.

Temple Beth El is a Reform Congregation in Huntington and a member of the Union of Reform Judaism. The Temple is active in many community efforts, including the Huntington Interfaith Homeless Initiative (HiHi). Temple Beth El is now privileged to coordinate an effort on behalf of nine area congregations, including the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Huntington, to host and resettle a refugee family from the Ukraine in Huntington in partnership with HIAS, a well-regarded global Jewish organization that protects refugees. The process for becoming a designated host community is rigorous, and we are very proud to have reached the first milestone of having our application approved. The most pressing need right now is funds. HIAS requires that host communities raise enough funds to support the family for the first three-six months before a family can be assigned. Temple Beth El established a fund that will be used exclusively for community-wide resettlement purposes and would greatly appreciate the contribution of any amount from the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Huntington to the Temple Beth- El Resettlement Fund.

This summer, UUFH’s own Grow to Give Garden (G2GG) is celebrating its tenth year of growing organic vegetables and fruit, all of which is donated to local food pantries such as Long Island Cares. The garden relies on its budget to supplement donations of tools, seed, compost, and routine upkeep and maintenance. This year, the G2GG volunteers are expanding their focus to give back to Mother Nature by eliminating invasive weeds and introducing native plants that will provide food for the birds, bees and other pollinator insects. Help us create a more ecologically healthy and sustainable garden!

Open Buffalo is a civic initiative to make major, long-term improvements in justice and equity in the City of Buffalo, New York. Established in 2014, it is an unprecedented collaboration among a diverse group of partners and allies. Our mission is to advance racial, economic, and ecological justice. We do so through skill building, network connecting, and activating leadership opportunities. People directly experiencing systemic challenges and inequities that we aim to address will always have a voice in identifying the problems and developing the solutions. Our goal is for all communities in Western New York to thrive free from discrimination and poverty.  An empowered democratic society is key to a joyful, culturally rich community and sustainable planet.

Located in Huntington Station, the Helping Hand Rescue Mission seeks to improve the spiritual and temporal conditions of the children, families, and people of the communities they serve by providing excellent service to all who come, whether they be rich or poor. They are here to love, to serve, and to give. The Helping Hand Rescue Mission Pantry is serving approximately 200-250 families per week with non-perishable and fresh produce, fruit, meat and eggs, milk, and bread. They have given out more than 39,000 food parcels since March 21, 2020. Their dining room recently suffered water damage due to a burst pipe, so contributions are especially needed now.

Unitarian Universalists have a long history of being at the forefront of justice movements – from abolition and civil rights to climate justice and immigration rights. But the power we have as individuals and even as individual congregations, while significant, does not have the political power we can have when we come together in cooperative state action. That’s where New York UUs for Justice (NYUUJ) comes in. NYUUJ is our New York State-wide UU legislative and justice action organization. The mission of NYUUJ is building justice and power in New York. They seek to accomplish this by connecting Unitarian Universalists with one another and with partners who share our values; learning from those most engaged in the struggle for justice and following their lead; and activating collective power to advocate for a just New York.

An excerpt from UUSC’s president Rev. Mary Katherine Morn’s statement about the war in Ukraine: “UUSC is a human rights organization with more than 80 years of work in solidarity with people who have experienced displacement. We know that a further escalation of war in Ukraine will only worsen the global refugee crisis in which more than 80 million people worldwide have already been displaced from their homes. Ukraine is currently home to more than a million asylum-seekers and internally-displaced people, many of whom could now be forced to flee for a second time as a result of Putin’s incursion.”

The vision of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is to ensure a society in which all individuals have equal rights without discrimination based on race. Founded in 1909, the NAACP is the nation’s oldest and largest civil rights organization. From the ballot box to the classroom, the thousands of dedicated workers, organizers, leaders, and members who make up the NAACP continue to fight for social justice for all Americans. The Huntington Branch will work with the state and national NAACP offices to strengthen our commitment to supporting equality and justice in the Huntington community.

Gender Equality New York, Inc., better known as “GENY”, is a non-profit whose mission is to advocate for transgender, non-binary, and intersex New Yorkers. GENY is committed to gaining equal rights and ending discrimination to achieve economic, educational, racial, and social equity for our communities. These goals are met by engaging in education and outreach to increase the general public’s understanding of the gender-expansive community, and to decrease incidents of discrimination and violence. GENY seeks to influence the public’s social attitudes, gain allies, and establish our community’s presence across New York State.