Dear Beloved Community,
During these challenging times, we are called to put our Unitarian Universalist faith into action and keep love at the center of all we do. In the spirit of Ujima—a Swahili word meaning “collective work and responsibility”—we are reminded that we belong to one another, and that none of us is whole when any of us is hungry.
How We Can Help
The most urgent need we see right now is the growing hunger crisis caused by the federal government shutdown and the Trump administration’s refusal to release SNAP (the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly known as food stamps) benefits.
MLUC will host a congregation-wide food drive Nov. 9 through Dec. 8. All donations will support the Great Valley Food Cupboard in Devon, which serves more than 300 households.
Here’s how you can help or receive help:
- Donate unopened, nonperishable food items with current expiration dates.
View the suggested items list here. - Share food assistance resources.
If you or someone you know needs food, consult our local resources list here. - Request confidential financial help if you rely on SNAP.
Contact Yvette McDonnell (yvette@mluc.org) to request support through the Ministers’ Discretionary Fund. - Support the Ministers’ Discretionary Fund.
To support the MLUC Ministers’ Discretionary Fund—which helps both MLUC members and our wider community in times of need—you may make a donation here.
(In the dropdown, select “Give to Senior Min Discretion.”)
What’s Happening with SNAP
Here’s why this work is urgently needed. According to NPR, “two federal judges ordered the Trump administration to use emergency funding to provide Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits for the 42 million people who rely on the program to feed their families. However, hours after the rulings Friday afternoon, it remained unclear how much assistance may be provided or when it might arrive.”
This legal action comes at a critical time. As many of you are aware, SNAP benefits will not be delivered to more than two million Pennsylvanians on Nov. 1 due to the ongoing federal government shutdown. This means that one in every six people in our state will go without vital food assistance. Twenty-five percent of affected households include working adults whose wages are too low to cover basic needs. The situation is further compounded by thousands of furloughed federal workers and their families, who are not receiving paychecks and now also face food insecurity. Even if SNAP is restored, rising food prices and sustained demand at local pantries—especially as the holidays approach—continue to deepen these challenges for our communities.
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said, “There is currently funding available to cover November SNAP benefits for the two million Pennsylvanians who rely on them to put food on the table. Donald Trump has the power to release these funds and ensure our kids don’t go hungry. He’s just choosing not to. We’re not going to stand by and let the people of Pennsylvania be used as a political bargaining chip, and so, along with 24 other states and DC, I am taking the President to court.”
As the courts determine the outcome of this battle with the Trump administration, it’s crucial that we continue preparing ourselves and our communities to provide support where it’s needed most.
In solidarity,
Yvette McDonnell, M.Ed., MASC (she/her)
Congregational Life Coordinator and Ministerial Intern
Rev. Dr. John Morehouse (he/him)
Senior Minister