Prison Ministry Archives

Equity and Transformation Chicago Reparations for the War on Drugs

March 22 at 7 p.m. UCE Sanctuary & Livestream

Here is a great opportunity to get to know a dynamic people-of-color led organization and to learn how to support a campaign for racial justice. Alonzo Waheed from E.A.T. Chicago will talk about their initiative “The Big Payback” (not to be confused with the documentary). This campaign is rooted in the commitment to repair the War on Drugs’ decades-long devastation. The event is co-sponsored by the REAL Team, UCE Prison Ministry Team, and the UU Prison Ministry of Illinois. Unlike our usual meetings, we are asking people to register for the event, at this LINK.

Since Illinois legalized marijuana in 2019, the state broke its promise to ensure equity in the cannabis industry and to repair harms done by the War on Drugs. The Illinois Reparations Coalition is building a vision to address the human rights violations and destruction of Black families, using the UN Five Pillars of Reparations. Join us to learn concrete steps we can take in alignment with our 8th Principle.

Two important notes: 1. People who have been justice-involved, and their loved ones, may be triggered revisiting the impact of the criminal punishment system. 2. Parents, please note that we will have the Nest area available with toys for young children. If you bring your older children, you may want to discuss with them beforehand the implications of marijuana legalization, and remind them that substances like alcohol and marijuana are legal for adult consumption but pose serious risks for brain development in youth.

We hope that all of our UCE members and friends will take advantage of this opportunity to act in partnership for racial justice. Please register at this link to attend in person or to get an email with the Livestream link. See you on March 22!

Equity and Transformation Chicago Reparations for the War on DrugsUCE UCE2023-03-15T19:33:49+00:00

Equity and Transformation Chicago Reparations for the War on Drugs

March 22 at 7 p.m.
UCE Sanctuary & Livestream

Alonzo Waheed, E.A.T. Chicago’s director of organizing, will lead a presentation on their initiative “The Big Payback”. Different from the film by the same name, this initiative is a campaign rooted in the commitment to make reparations to people harmed by the War on Drugs. This is a great opportunity to get to know a dynamic people-of-color led organization and to learn how to support this campaign. The event is co-sponsored by the REAL Team, UCE Prison Ministry Team, and the UU Prison Ministry of Illinois. Unlike the usual REAL Team meetings, we are asking people to register for the event, at this LINK.

Illinois became the 11th state to legalize marijuana in 2019. Promises of economic equity in the cannabis industry have been broken, and the state’s proposal to repair the harms of the War on Drugs has fallen far short. The Illinois Reparations Coalition is building a vision to address the Drug War’s human rights violations and destruction of Black families, using the UN Five Pillars of Reparations. Join us to learn concrete steps we can take, in alignment with our 8th Principle.

Two important notes: First, people who have been justice-involved, and their loved ones, may be affected by revisiting the impact of the criminal punishment system. Second, parents, please note that we will have the Nest area available with toys for young children. If you bring your older children, you may want to discuss with them beforehand the implications of marijuana legalization and remind them that substances like alcohol and marijuana are legal for adult consumption but pose serious risks for youth and emerging adults, whose brains are still developing.

We hope that all of our UCE members and friends will take advantage of this exciting partnership opportunity! Please register at this LINK to attend in person or to get an email with the Livestream link. See you on March 22!

Equity and Transformation Chicago Reparations for the War on DrugsUCE UCE2023-03-10T19:57:24+00:00

Carceral Systems and Siding with Love Workshop: September 10, 2021

UU Prison Ministry of Illinois, REAL, and the UCE Prison Ministry team invite you to join us for the last two sessions of Carceral Systems and Siding with Love.

How do we actively side with Love in the face of harmful carceral systems that especially target black and brown people? We will welcome nationally known advocate Joyce MacMillan on Family Separation and Surveillance on October 21. On November 4 we will discuss the Basics of Restorative Justice. Registration is required, and a short reading or video will be emailed to you one week before each session. The last of these 90-minute Zoom workshops is on November 4.

Thursday, November 4, 7:00-8:30 p.m.: Basics of Restorative Justice

What is the framework for restorative or transformative justice and how is it different from the criminal legal system? How do restorative justice community courts work? What other models to address harm are being developed?

We hope you will join us! Please register here for any or all of these workshops.

Past Sessions:

Thursday, September 23, 7:00-8:30 p.m.: Policing

Why do activists make the call to “Defund Police”, and what do they mean by this? What is the impact of spending a large percentage of local budgets on police while disinvesting in low-income neighborhoods? What other approaches are being tried?

Thursday, October 7, 7:00-8:30 p.m.: Prisons

What are the dynamics and history that brought this country to mass incarceration? What is the impact of prisons on individuals and communities? Does prison make us safe?

Thursday, October 21, 7:00-8:30 p.m.: Family Separation and Surveillance

How does the foster care-to-prison pipeline affect poor communities of color? What is the history of child removal? What assistance is available for families when poverty creates less than ideal conditions? What remedies are anti-racist activists suggesting?

Carceral Systems and Siding with Love Workshop: September 10, 2021UCE UCE2021-10-29T17:27:08+00:00

Urgent Need for Lunches: May 28, 2021

Connections for the Homeless provides sack lunches at three locations in Evanston, Monday through Friday, year round. Volunteer sign-ups are not keeping up with the need right now. If you have been thinking about trying this, NOW is the time.

For everyone who has been contributing to this effort since last October, Bravo! – and a great big Thank You! This is a very satisfying project that can be done by volunteers who want to help, but need to avoid close contact with the public. It can be done by one person, or you can get together with a partner to share the tasks (and fun – put on the music while you make sandwiches).

How do you get started?

Choose a day (Mon. through Fri.) from the calendar on the Connections website, Connect2home.org Go to ‘volunteer’, ‘make bag lunches’, ‘sign up to prepare bag lunches to one of our locations’. This is also where you choose the location you prefer.
Email Maggie Weiss to let her know the date and location you have chosen. msmaggie6@comcast.net
Pick up a bag with nonperishable components of 25 lunches from Carol Nielsen. This will contain juices, granola bars, condiments and individual bags for sandwiches and lunches. carolnielsen2100@gmail.com

Then, you buy the fresh items you will use in your lunches – bread, meat, and cheese to make sandwiches, and fresh fruit. We will pay for the non-perishables; you will pay for the fresh foods. We have found the best prices at ALDI, but shop wherever you choose. The cost of fresh foods for one lunch is about $1.54, so you can do 25 lunches for $40-$45.

Need coaching? Please contact Sheila Holder at skholder8@gmail.com

Thanks for all you do,

Carol Nielsen, Maggie Weiss, Sheila Holder

Urgent Need for Lunches: May 28, 2021UCE UCE2021-05-27T16:43:31+00:00

March Madness: March 5, 2021

I BET YOU THOUGHT “MARCH MADNESS” MEANT BASKETBALL

Good guess, but in our UCE world, it means a final power push to provide 12 more days of bagged lunches for the folks served by Evanston’s Connections for the Homeless. So far, we’ve scored over 1,000 fresh meals delivered and with 300 more we have a slam-dunk to finish up the season.

We’re here to help you score your own 3-pointer.

How do you get started?

1. Choose a day (Mon. through Fri.) from the calendar on the Connections website,
  Connect2home.org Go to ‘volunteer’, ‘make bag lunches’, ‘sign up to prepare bag lunches to one of our locations’. This is also where you choose the location you prefer.
2. Email Maggie Weiss at msmaggie6@comcast.net to let her know the date and location you have chosen.
3. Pick up a bag with nonperishable components of 25 lunches from Carol Nielsen.

This will contain juices, granola bars, condiments and individual bags for sandwiches and lunches. carolnielsen2100@gmail.com

For a more detailed shopping guide, please click the button below..

View the Shopping Guide

The cost of fresh foods for one lunch is about $1.54, so you can do 25 lunches for under $40.

Need coaching? Please contact Sheila Holder at skholder8@gmail.com

From Carol Nielsen, Maggie Weiss, Sheila Holder

March Madness: March 5, 2021UCE UCE2021-03-04T19:31:08+00:00

Our Neighbors Without a Home Still Need Lunches: January 29, 2021

Many thanks to all of you who made bag lunches and delivered them to one of Evanston’s three locations for Connections for the Homeless. We are resuming our program on February 1 and have secured a grant which will allow us to contribute 600 more lunches!

We are encouraging people who have not done this before, to give it a try. Of course, everyone who has made lunches is invited to jump in again. Join the 25 folks who packed lunches last year and see how easy it is to make a contribution that is hugely appreciated by the men and women who receive it. Imagine what it is like to have no kitchen and no food. Then, you open a brown bag and find a fresh, tasty sandwich, fresh fruit, a juice box and a granola bar – Wow!

How do you get started?

Choose a day (Mon. through Fri.) from the calendar on the Connections website, Connect2home.org Go to ‘volunteer’, ‘make bag lunches’, ‘sign up to prepare bag Lunches to one of our locations’. This is also where you choose the location you prefer.
Email Maggie Weiss to let her know the date and location you have chosen. msmaggie6@comcast.net.
Pick up a bag with nonperishable components of 25 lunches from Carol Nielsen. This will contain juices, granola bars and condiments. carolnielsen2100@gmail.com

Then, you buy the fresh items you will use in your lunches – bread, meat, cheese,fresh fruit. We will pay for all the nonperishables; you will pay for the fresh items. We have found the best prices at Aldi, but shop wherever you want.

Spread a little love in the month of Valentine’s Day with bag lunches – and in March, too!

Questions? Please contact Sheila Holder at skholder8@gmail.com

Carol Nielsen, Maggie Weiss, Sheila Holder

Our Neighbors Without a Home Still Need Lunches: January 29, 2021UCE UCE2021-01-29T17:00:42+00:00

Update from the UCE-Connections Partnership: December 18, 2020

WHAT HAVE WE BEEN UP TO, LATELY?

1,025 tasty, healthy sack lunches, that’s what!

Bravo! to the volunteers who shopped, made sandwiches, packed and delivered them! Many hungry people had a meal instead of an empty stomach.

Last October an article in our Newsletter gave details of our new partnership with Connections for the Homeless. Connections is a long-standing non-profit in Evanston with the goal of finding permanent housing for all, with supportive resources all along the way. UCE has had a relationship with Connections for many years, through our Giving House, Mitten Tree, and volunteer work of many of our members.

The UCE Endowment Fund and the Board of Trustees approved a grant of $40,000 to fund a Housing Specialist position for Connections for the Homeless. We also wanted to find volunteer opportunities for our members to assist in the effort to change lives, one person at a time.

One of the areas we decided to focus on, as a start, is the sack lunch program run by Connections at three locations in Evanston. We worked out a plan where we would supply each volunteer lunch-maker with a bag of non-perishables needed for 25-30 lunches, (granola bars, juice boxes, mustard/mayo packets, bags). Volunteers signed up online for the day they wanted, packed the lunches, and delivered them to their chosen location. They were responsible for providing the fresh components of the lunches – bread, lunch meat, cheese and fresh fruit.

Many people found this to be easy enough that they contributed lunches on several days. Some folks found it was fun to do with a partner to share the task and the costs. Through December, we will have provided over 1,000 lunches – all through generous volunteer efforts. Many thanks to everyone who participated in making such a success of this undertaking.

In case you missed out on this opportunity, or just want to do more, we have good news. We have received generous funding from Martha Holman and Faith in Place to keep our lunches-for-hungry-people going. After a break in January, we will resume sign-ups starting Monday February 1.

This is a chance to volunteer with the safety of physical distancing, in a way that produces immediate, concrete, satisfying results. Give it a go!

Carol Nielsen, Maggie Weiss, Sheila Holder

Update from the UCE-Connections Partnership: December 18, 2020UCE UCE2020-12-16T20:44:03+00:00

Serving Connections in the Season of Giving: November 13, 2020

Try on one of these ideas and find a fit – Serving Connections for the Homeless in the Season of Giving

As the winter holiday season approaches, have you wondered how you and your family could tangibly help other community members? Do you find yourself torn between feeding the hungry or advocating to build affordable housing in Evanston?

UCE has started a partnership with Connections for the Homeless and their housing advocacy group, Joining Forces for Affordable Housing. You can work with UCE friends to do some task from a wide range of service work from making lunches, collecting specific clothing, working at Hilda’s place or working on a myriad of housing advocacy projects including advocacy work with our local and state governments. Whether your passion is food, housing, children’s issues, legal justice reform, mental health, or equity, there is a role for you in this project.

Below are two links that will give you background on volunteering efforts you can participate in – one link to advocacy tasks that you can do from home and one to more direct service tasks, like providing sack lunches or volunteering in the clothing closet. Some of these tasks are family friendly and some can be done comfortably by one adult alone at home. Some are easy (join an email list), and some are harder (attend a monthly meeting and report what happened).

Ways to Participate in Joining Forces Advocacy for Affordable Housing

Ways to Volunteer with Connections for the Homeless

Find one thing on these lists you can do before the year end and make your contribution to our UCE partners in justice and to the people they serve. Guaranteed to make your holiday brighter!

To explore where to begin with your preferred volunteer efforts, contact Carol Nielsen (carolnielsen2100@gmail.com) for direct service opportunities, Dale Griffin (dalecgriffin@comcast.net), Les Butler (wb1630@hotmail.com), or Judy LeFevour (judy.m.lefevour@gmail.com) for prison ministry support or Sarah Vanderwicken (vanderesq@mindspring.com) to discuss housing advocacy.

Serving Connections in the Season of Giving: November 13, 2020UCE UCE2020-11-12T20:01:44+00:00

Your Chance to Connect with Connections for the Homeless: October 23, 2020

We have new opportunities for volunteers who want to make a difference in our community in very concrete ways. Connections for the Homeless is a well-established, non-profit organization in Evanston, providing a wide range of services to homeless people. To address the complexities of services during the Covid19 pandemic, they have been creative and flexible and have increased their efforts to meet greater needs. They provide temporary housing, lunches, clothing and access to other essential services, including a path to permanent housing.

The UCE Prison Ministry and Food and Shelter Team are launching a renewed and invigorated partnership with Connections, along with a $40,000 donation from our Endowment Fund. Connections has effective infrastructure to provide services, which all depend on lots of volunteers. That’s where we come in – with volunteers! We’re starting with two areas – bag lunches and the Clothing Room at Hilda’s Place. We’re hopeful that in 2021 we can expand to other projects, as well.

There are roles for all adults, with varying levels of contact with other people. The 25 bag lunches (sandwich, fruit, snack and drink) are made and delivered to Hilda’s Place on Monday through Friday. Hilda’s Place is in the basement of Lake Street Church, 1458 Chicago Ave. in Evanston. The cost of the food is already covered.

The Clothing Room at Hilda’s Place is a way for people to get clean, warm clothing. It also helps provide a sense of value and dignity and a way to build relationships with people living on the street. Winter is almost here! Volunteers are needed to gather new socks and underwear or lightly used hoodies, jackets, sweatshirts. They can’t use dress clothes, like sport jackets.

These are tasks that can be done in small groups or individually. The lunches can be made at home or in the UCE kitchen. Please use the link below to sign up for a date to help with bag lunches. This is a great way to invest in our community in a practical, meaningful way.

Questions? Contact Sheila Holder at skholder8@gmail.com.

Your Chance to Connect with Connections for the Homeless: October 23, 2020UCE UCE2020-10-21T20:59:01+00:00

New Partnership with Connections for the Homeless: October 9, 2020

New Partnership Launched with UCE and Connections for the Homeless: Calling UCE Congregants to be Part of Changing the World One Person at a Time

We are pleased to announce that the UCE Endowment Fund and the Board of Trustees have approved a grant of $40,000 to fund a Housing Specialist position for Connections for the Homeless (CFTH). The Prison Ministry and the Food and Shelter Team cooperated in submitting the proposal to the Endowment Fund for this position. At CFTH, a housing specialist identifies landlords who will accept persons who are homeless, some returning from prison, some with substance abuse problems, and mental illness. The specialist also helps clients understand what is involved in renting an apartment. In a recent meeting with the staff at CFTH we learned that this is one of the largest gifts from a faith community.

We should be proud of this new partnership and the bold efforts we will make to change lives, one person at a time. There are three areas where volunteers are needed: Direct Service, Housing Advocacy and Prison Ministry. We want you to be a part of this partnership. Let's lift up UCE's financial commitment and match it with a commitment of time, skills, and love.

The Volunteer Opportunities Will Focus on Three Areas

Direct Service including options such as making lunches, helping at the clothing room, collecting appropriate clothing, or doing a toiletry drive.

Affordable Housing Advocacy including writing letters, talking with legislators, attending meetings with City of Evanston staff, and

Solidarity Circles including providing support to persons recently released from prison by helping them get their feet on the ground, listening and building relationships with those with criminal records, and providing various types of support.

More information will be available as we organize the congregation to help build this new partnership.

Opportunities for UCE to be an Ally with Connections

We can assist in these efforts while increasing awareness, advocacy, and volunteer efforts for UCE congregants and build on the existing relationship with CFTH. Social justice projects, using volunteers, provide an opportunity for church members to build relationships with persons returning from prison and people who are homeless, thus deepening our understanding of what it means to be in relationship with people who have been marginalized.

 How Do we Start this Partnership?

A UCE Coordinating Committee has been organized to work in three areas to promote volunteering opportunities. The group has met with staff at CFTH, and soon will be offering volunteer options for the congregation. Members of the Committee include Shirley Adams, Les Butler, Dale Griffin, Sheila Holder, Jeanne Kerl, Judy LeFevour, Carol Nielsen, Maggie Weiss, and Dennis Wilson with support from Rev. Susan Frances.

Prison Ministry and Food and Shelter Team

The UCE Prison Ministry Team has a goal of encouraging supportive housing on the North Shore for people returning from prison or with a criminal record.  Finding housing is often more critical even before getting a job. Persons returning from prison often do not have credit or a work history, and with a criminal record, landlords are reluctant to rent to them. The Food and Shelter Team has worked on a variety of housing related issues in the past, most notably sponsoring a refugee family to furnish their apartment and providing support for their integration into American society.

Some of the Challenges for Finding Housing:

Those being released, or with criminal records, find it difficult to secure places to live as they often have questionable credit, a spotty work history, and no money. The lack of affordable housing leaves ex-offenders competing for the same limited low-cost housing options as those with no criminal history.
Being homeless increases the potential for recidivism. Studies have found that over 10% of people coming out of jails and prisons were homeless in the months preceding their incarceration. Access to safe and affordable housing helps prevent people with criminal records from reoffending.
Affordable housing on the Northshore is already scant, and without the help of housing advocates, exceedingly difficult to secure.
HUD ruled in 1996 that people with criminal records are banned from public housing. There have been attempts at reforms since 2014.
Persons returning from prison need to be housed near their families, in communities that will support them in their journey following incarceration.

Why We Chose Connections for the Homeless:

Connections for the Homeless is an organization based in Evanston with strong ties to our church community. Several congregants have volunteered with CFTH over the past ten years. We have also served clients through the Mitten Tree and Our Giving House. The mission of Connections is to combat homelessness, the most visible and solvable form of poverty. Homelessness is also a symptom of institutional racism, historical inequities, and failures in many systems on many levels. CFTH’s recent response to the COVID-19 pandemic is an example of their success in responding to a crisis and finding both financial resources and housing at this critical time. 

Connections for the Homeless serves 2,100 people a year. In addition to the direct services they provide, CFTH has been working vigorously with others in the community to identify root causes of homelessness through advocacy for more affordable housing and greater equity in housing practices. 

CFTH estimates that at least half of their clients have criminal records, making the search for housing difficult.  Approximately 50 % of CFTH clients are women, so their efforts support the housing of both men and women returning from prison. 

Why does our Faith Call us to do this work?

We are called to undertake this work by our respect for the inherent worth and dignity of each person, by our understanding that “hurt people hurt people”, and by our desire to promote healing of trauma caused by systemic injustice. We promote justice, equity, and compassion. We are our brothers’ and sisters’ keepers.  We want to engage in action, and not fall into the easy practice of just studying the problem.  By getting our members proximate to the lives of those directly affected, we hope to motivate our members with a sense of urgency for change.

Submitted by Dale Griffin and Carol Nielsen

New Partnership with Connections for the Homeless: October 9, 2020UCE UCE2020-10-21T21:00:27+00:00