Social Action

As part of the larger Unitarian Universalist denomination, we put our faith in deeds, not creeds.  We proactively support racial, LGBT, environmental, and other justice efforts through educational programming, direct action, and financial support.

Get Involved

  • Checkout the UUFD newsletter for upcoming opportunities and events.
  • If you are interested in joining the Social Action Committee, contact the committee chair.
  • Several members and friends of UUFD correspond with women incarcerated at federal prisons in the United States. If you are interested in joining this endeavor, contact Cyndi Hartley.
  • The Iowa UU Witness Advocacy Network (IUUWAN) is our statewide UU social justice network that connects UUs across Iowa to help with issues such as LGBTQ+ equality, racial and environmental justice, etc. Problems like transphobia, Iowa water quality, global warming, and dismantling racism and other oppressions are bigger than any congregation, and by joining with others we can amplify our voices and make a bigger difference. Please visit IUUWAN’s website to learn how we can work together.

Activities

Charitable Giving

The congregation donates annually to:

  • Dubuque Area Congregations United (DACU)
  • Dubuque Branch NAACP
  • Iowa Unitarian Universalist Witness Advocacy Network
  • St. Stephen’s Food Bank

Each week half of the collection from Sunday services is donated to a local charity. Current and recent charities include:

  • 2023 September & October – Avery Foundation: A Dubuque organization offering grants to help patients and their families with unexpected expenses of travel, meals, and lodging during their cancer treatments.
  • 2023 July & August – Dubuque Dream Center: An Outreach Community Center that provides group activities and educational programming for youth and teens. The Dream Center helps youth and teens build relationships with caring adults through mentorship and individualized plans. 
  • 2023 May & June – Dubuque Y Crisis Services: Provides temporary emergency shelter and supportive services to victimized women and their families, so they have the protection and freedom to live safely in our community.
  • 2023 March & April – Dubuque Rescue Mission: A community offering hospitality, spiritual hope, food, shelter, clothing and job development to those in need. For 81 years, the D.R.M. has served the needs of the community, offering overnight shelter for 45 men; providing over 230 meals a day to those seeking food and fellowship; and providing clothing and other material goods to those with no means to pay. 
  • 2023 January & February – Dubuque for Refugee Children: Provides much needed transport and assistance to newly arriving immigrants, especially minors.
  • 2022 November & December – Crescent Community Health Center: Crescent provides access to healthcare and wellness services in our tri-state communities that need them the most. Our donations are earmarked for bus passes provided to those in need.
  • 2022 September & October – Opening Doors: This nonprofit organization helps women and children who are experiencing homelessness in Dubuque.
  • 2022 July & August – CROP Hunger Walk 2022: The goal of CROP Hunger Walks is to promote “just and sustainable responses to hunger, poverty, displacement and disaster.” Of the funds raised from a community event, 25% is returned to the host community to support local food security.
  • 2022 May & June – Iowa UU Witness Advocacy Network (IUUWAN): We pay a nominal amount for dues each year, but they are in need of extra funds right now in relation to a grant to hire outreach organizer. Their mission is: “Connect and engage Iowa Unitarian Universalists in a continuous process of learning and social action by building diverse coalitions of UUs and partnerships with other groups and organizations in advocating for policies of equity, fairness, and inclusion in Iowa.”
  • 2022 March & April – Nathaniel Morgan Memorial Committee: Mission is to encourage honest, compassionate dialogue about race in our schools and broader community by acknowledging the lynching of African American Nathaniel Morgan and subsequent acts of racial violence in Iowa.  Seeks to create a memorial to promote reflection, sustain educational activity, and demonstrate Dubuque’s commitment to understanding and rectifying racial wrongs and building an equitable, multicultural community.
  • 2022 January & February – People in Need (PIN): A service through Dubuque Area Congregations United (DACU) which provides temporary assistance toward rent, food, utilities, medical, and other basic needs.
  • 2021 4th Quarter – Every Child Reads: A collaboration of educators, non-profits, parents, and civic leaders in Dubuque, with the goal of bringing every child to read at grade level by the end of 3rd grade. In Dubuque, 50% of third-grade students are not reading at grade level.  Studies show that one in six students who fall behind in reading proficiency at the end of third grade do not graduate from high school, and research shows that children from low-income households are disproportionately affected.
  • 2021 3rd Quarter – Almost Home @ St. John’s Lutheran Church: Serves and supports our neighbors in need through two outreach ministries: Open Closet, which distributes free clothing, shoes, hygienic items, and household items; and Guest House, which provides seasonal shelter for single homeless men in the Dubuque region.
  • 2021 May 16-June 30 – Dubuque Indigenous Peoples’ Day Celebration: An educational and inspirational gathering to celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ Day, occurring annually in October.
  • 2021 April 1-May 15 – Crop Walk: Dubuque Area Congregations United (DACU) hosts the annual Crop Walk to raise funds to fight against the challenges of disease, disaster, displacement and other concerns that leave people hungry.
  • 2021 1st Quarter – Dubuque for Refugee Children: Mission is to assist and empower unaccompanied minors who are placed with family members or friends within 100 miles of the City of Dubuque with their legal, educational, medical and housing needs in their quest to achieve secure, peaceful and sustainable lives.
  • 2020 4th Quarter – Fountain of Youth: Works with youth as well as adults who have returned to the community from being incarcerated to help individuals enroll in training or find employment.
  • 2020 3rd Quarter – Dream Center: Offers holistic programming for Dubuque youth and families through academic initiatives, after school programming, healthy meals, character development curriculum, and more.
  • 2020 2nd Quarter – Dubuque Branch NAACP: Mission is to ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights of all persons and to eliminate race-based discrimination.
  • 2020 1st Quarter – Dubuque Rescue Mission Garden and Greenhouse: Provides fresh vegetables to use for free, nutritious meals at the Mission’s cafeteria.