From September to June, our Society donates each month to a Dedicated Offering recipient and splits 50/50 every Sunday’s offering plate with the recipient organization.

The Dedicated Offerings for the month of April are for Dakin Humane Society in Springfield, an organization that is probably well known to many UUSA members.

Dakin Humane Society is a 501 (c) (3) community-supported animal welfare organization that provides shelter, medical care, and spay/neuter services to more than 20,000 animals each year. Since its inception in 1969, Dakin has become one of the most recognized nonprofit organizations in the Pioneer Valley and a national leader in animal welfare.

They offer a wide variety of services to pets and their owners, including providing pet food to local food banks, and low cost medical care for pets. Their Board President, Tiffany Appleton, will be joining us on Sunday, April 7 to explain their services.

Their address is 171 Union St, Springfield, MA 01105; phone 413-781-4000.

In December, our Dedicated Offerings raised $900 for Etta International, Empowerment through the Arts.  In January, we raised $1,000 for Reproductive Equity Now. We will report in a future newsletter what we raised in February for Healing Across the Divides.

In September we raised $1,000 for UUA Disaster Relief Fund to support the Montpelier VT UU congregation, which suffered a great loss when the Connecticut river flooded its building; in October $1,175 for Maui Strong to support victims of the wildfires which devastated Lahaina in western Maui, Hawa; and in November $850 for the Connecticut River Conservancy (CRC).

The Dedicated Offering Committee selects non-profit organizations that our Society will support with donations from our Sunday collections. We solicit UUSA’s members for names of organizations through a form which is available in the office and on-line at https://forms.gle.hypMGzMJHgeAVf26. A representative of the chosen organization is asked to speak about it on the first Sunday of the month. We welcome new members. If you are interested in learning more or joining DOC, please contact Anne Perkins, Mary Beth Seminario, Linda Callahan, Carolyn Holstein, Linda Honan or Brenda Bushouse.