The South Bay food pantry will be open ​every Saturday in May from 11 am - 12:30 pm.

​Our virtual annual meeting will be held on Sunday, June 28th at 1 pm. Please plan on attending to hear about and vote on important issues and learn about how things are going in our church. More detailed information about meeting URL and virtual voting process will be coming soon. See you there!

Hillcrest: bring your food donations to the Hillcrest parking lot every Saturday from 8am-9am. Deliver bags and boxes to the bed of Dana Tomlinson’s dark grey Ford pick-up truck with camper shell. 
​South Bay: deliver donations directly to the food pantry from 9:30am - 10 am. Get directions to either location. 
Peanut butter is our most frequently requested food! We cannot buy it in bulk, so your individual donations of 1 or 2 jars makes a difference! Our other frequently requested items are:

• Pasta sauce
• Pasta noodles
• Canned, diced tomatoes
• Canned tuna

Please don't buy fresh produce to donate. We can purchase fresh produce from a wholesaler at great rates! We would love for you to glean fresh fruits and vegetables from your neighborhood gardens. Your pantry funds go the furthest when you spend them on our most requested canned, boxed, and bagged pantry goods. Donations of funds are also tremendously appreciated! To donate online, see our Food Pantry page. Thank you for your continued support of the South Bay Food Pantry!

​It’s time for preparation and submission of your Ministry Team / Affiliate Group / Committee reports for our 2020 Annual Report. Click here for your report instructions and template. Refer to our 2019 Annual Report here, and submit your reports and pictures no later than Friday, May 15 to Rose Riedel at rose@firstuusandiego.org.  

Here are the top 8 jobs where the pantry could use more support.

1. Shoppers who will go into grocery stores, purchase food in bulk, and deliver it to the pantry. The pantry will reimburse AUTHORIZED purchases.
2. People who will sort, inventory, and shelve food donations.
3. People who will assemble bags of food at the pantry.
4. People who will visit the pantry one day each week to record temperatures for the refrigerator and freezer and initial the pest control log.
5. People who will take the test for the San Diego County Food Handler’s card who will agree to be on site while food distribution is going on.
6. People who will commit to a shift to distribute food. These people should contact Maureen for days and hours.
7. People to create fliers, print, and distribute them.
8. People who will pick up food donations in the Hillcrest parking lot and deliver them to the pantry.

 Please contact Maureen McNair at memcnair948@gmail.com, or church staff Jenner Daylen at Jenner@firstuusandiego.org, or our ministers for more information. Thank You!!!

Here’s your video Easter gift from First UU Church! Take a moment to enjoy the wonderful flowers in bloom on our Hillcrest campus this week. Photos by Ray Evans. Music: “Morning Mood" from the Peer Gynt Suite by Edvard Grieg.

Both one-time and monthly sustaining donations help us stay open! No amount is too small, or too large.
To donate by check: 
Make your check payable to FUUSD, write "SB Food Pantry" in the memo line and mail to to FUUSD, 4190 Front St., San Diego, CA 92101, Attn: Robie Evans.

To donate by ​credit card:
Go to firstuusandiego.org/donations.html.
Follow the steps and under "Fund" select "SB Food Pantry."
Remember to select the frequency for your donation.

Photos by John and Peggy Holl. Click for a larger view. 

Because we’re doing all we can to minimize the spread of COVID-19 and staying at home, we won’t be gathering for our traditional Seder ritual and dinner. And we still want and need to acknowledge this important time. Passover begins tonight at sundown and ends at sundown on April 16th. According to an article in Sunday’s Union Tribune on Religion and Spirituality, many know this year’s Passover will be different. While gathering together with families and strangers for the traditional meals will not happen this year, they can happen virtually. Even in the most traditional practices of Judaism, permission from Rabbis has been given to use social media platforms to gather virtually for the Passover ritual and meal. As Rabbi Laurie Coskey says, “We’ll all have our tables set with our ritual foods, and we’ll all come together as best we can. …Although no theological significance can be attributed to the pandemic, a sense of the vulnerability for our humanity and our need for connection is heightened at a time when we cannot be comforted by our loved ones or beloved rituals in ways we have in the past.” However, she says, “rituals and connections are what nourish our humanity” and so Passover will be observed. Here’s a link on how this year’s Passover can happen for you. May this year’s observance inspire deeper connections to all you hold dear. https://jewishfed.org/news/events/webinar-how-host-virtual-seder

Church member and psychologist Lynn Northrop and her colleague Amanda Mendez are sharing an important tool for self-care in the time of COVID-19. This tool, rooted in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, was created by psychologist Russ Harris. I hope you find this helpful and my deep appreciation to Lynn and Amanda for sharing this tool. ~ Rev. Kathleen Download a worksheet based on the video worksheet en Espaniol | worksheet in English.

We want you to participate in our Flower Communion. You’re invited to send a selfie with a flower and email your photo to Tony at Tony@firstuusandiego.org Please send it by Thursday, 4/9/2020, at noon. Thanks!

Hello friends. It's Meditation Monday. Here to lead us today is Rev. Kathleen.

During this time of physical distancing, it is more important than ever to maintain our social ties to our communities. This is why we will be taking our Social Hour online, starting Sunday, April 5th!

Join us on Zoom after Sunday service for an opportunity to chat in small groups with friendly faces that you would usually see in Bard Hall or on the Patio.  Feel free to bring your own mug of coffee or tea to sip while connecting with folks.

The Social Hour meeting will begin at 10:30, using the meeting ID 824-042-297. This meeting will require a different password each week, which will be communicated during the Sunday Service Live Stream - so stay tuned! If you have trouble accessing the meeting, please contact Jenner at jenner@firstuusandiego.org.

This Zoom meeting will include the use of Breakout Rooms so that we have an opportunity to talk in small, randomized groups and can avoid the chaos of all being in the same meeting at once! Please see the below tips (courtesy of Rev. Sharon Wylie from Chalice UU Congregation) that should help you navigate this new method of doing  Social Hour in a way that is enjoyable for all!