Homelessness
& Poverty
United Church of Santa Fe is committed to giving back to the community. In pre-pandemic times, members would regularly volunteer at the shelters and help to provide weekly meals for persons who are homeless. We have since shifted how we are involved, but there are still numerous opportunities to help and be involved in the community.
United's Shelter Lunches and Dinners for Persons who are homeless and Support Santa Fe Businesses!
United provides full meals (entrée, veggie casserole, salad, dessert) each month to Santa Fe Shelters. There are numerous volunteer opportunities. Below are specific ones for June. Interested? If you’d like to volunteer, please contact Pat Roach at 505-988-7357 (email: proach102@comcast.net). You can also support this ministry financially with check or online donations (memo: shelter meals). Thank you!
Specific volunteer opportunities for June:
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June 23 (Friday, 9:30 am) – Chop and grate
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June 25 (Monday) – Deliver to Casa Familia and St. Elizabeth's (no Interfaith Shelter this month)
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Volunteers are needed to make meat loaf.
Summer Drive for Food Depot
The Food Depot supplies schools, shelters, and agencies throughout Northern New Mexico with healthy food year-round. To help, bring any (or all) of these items to the church: jumbo-size containers of canned vegetables/fruit, pasta, rice for group meals; family-size packages, especially high-protein foods (dried beans, canned meats, chili con carne, soups); baby foods (powdered formula, cereal, jars of baby food); diapers. Monetary donations also welcome. Make checks to United Church (memo: Food Depot). Thank you!
Children's Garden Vegetable for Food Depot Too!
All the produce from the Children’s Garden this summer goes to the Food Depot to provide fresh vegetables in the food bags. If you’d like to help with weekly weeding or harvesting, please contact Donna Clark or sign up at church. Also, as the summer progresses, if you have extra squash, etc. from your own garden, bring it to the church and we’ll get it to the Food Depot!
Supporting our Diné/Navajo Brothers and Sisters
The Navajo Nation of northern New Mexico and Arizona has been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic. The systemic issues of poverty, lack of clean water, and inadequate health care impact the rising number of cases and death. The United Church of Santa Fe has a decades-long relationship with the people of the Diné/Navajo Nation. Mary Hasbah Roessel grew up in Round Rock, and her brother, Monty Roessel, is the President of Diné College. Our former Office Administrator Ella Natonabah Jones grew up in Fort Defiance, along with her older sister Helen, mother of United’s Nurture Center teacher Carrie McCabe. For a number of years, United has had youth and adult service trips to the Good Shepherd Mission in Fort Defiance. Because of this connection, United’s Outreach Team invites your donations to help support Good Shepherd’s relief work with families and elders throughout the area. All financial donations to United for “Diné Support” will be sent directly to Good Shepherd and used to provide food and cleaning supplies. Thank you!