Share the Plate at UUAM
Creating a Kinder World for All Beings
“Share the Plate” is a practice of Unitarian Universalist congregations in which some or all of their worship offerings are shared with justice-focused partners. At Unitarian Universalist Animal Ministry (UUAM), Share the Plate provides a significant source of support for our values-based work to extend compassion and justice to animals and the more‑than‑human world.
Grounded in Unitarian Universalist values and the adoption of Article II: Interdependence, UUAM’s Share the Plate initiative helps congregations put interdependence into action, recognizing that care for humans, animals, and the Earth are inseparable.
What Is Share the Plate?
Share the Plate designates a portion of a congregation’s regular worship offering to support a selected cause. Some congregations share half of the offering they collect each week, some share once a month, and some share 100% every week. Rather than asking members to give more, Share the Plate invites communities to share what they already give as a spiritual practice of generosity.
With UUAM, this shared offering supports work that expands moral concern beyond humanity and powers our mission to protect all beings from exploitation. Whether or not your congregation offers a Blessing of the Animals service, sharing the plate with UUAM is a meaningful fit for any congregation whose members care about animals.
By inviting your congregation to share the plate with UUAM, you help strengthen your congregants’ ability to live their values on behalf of animals and inspire others to do the same.
Why Share the Plate with UUAM?
Share the Plate funds help UUAM:
Develop resources for UUs and religious professionals.
Support ethical engagement with and amplify a UU moral voice for food, climate, and animal justice.
Offer programs such as our monthly Pet Loss Support Group, wide‑ranging speaker series, legislative advocacy for animals, annual sermon contest, and much more.
Each congregation’s offering becomes part of a collective effort to create lasting cultural and ethical change.
Why UUAM?
Faith‑rooted. Justice-centered. More-than-human.
UUAM is the only UU organization focused specifically on animals.
We highlight how animal justice is an integral part of UU theology and values.
Our work bridges animal protection, environmental justice, and human justice.
Living Article II: Interdependence
Article II affirms that we are part of an interdependent web of existence and that our choices affect the whole. Supporting UUAM through Share the Plate is a tangible expression of this commitment.
It recognizes that:
Animals, whether human or non‑human, are our kin. Our shared values call us to protect them from exploitation and to treat them with compassion and respect.
Human well‑being is inseparable from the well‑being of other animals.
Justice must extend to the entire web of life.
Through shared generosity, congregations embody just and compassionate interdependence.
The Logistics: How to Share the Plate with UUAM
Every congregation chooses its own Share the Plate recipients. If you are not sure how recipients are selected in yours, ask a congregational leader:
“What person or group decides on the list of organizations that our offering plate is shared with?”
“How do they prefer to receive nominations?”
Once you learn how to nominate UUAM, make an appeal to the decision‑makers to add UUAM to their list. You might share the UUAM website (www.uuam.org) or a recent newsletter. Tell a story about what you appreciate about UUAM, what moves you to nominate us, and why you believe the congregation would be enthusiastic.
If they agree, in the weeks leading up to your congregation sharing the plate, help familiarize people with UUAM through the congregation’s newsletter, bulletin boards, and social media.
On the day of the service, tell the congregation how UUAM’s work connects to what members care about. Mention specific programs, such as our legislative advocacy, speaker series, Pet Loss Support Group, and curricula and other resources for UU congregations. Express your sincere gratitude to the congregation, not only for caring about the animals with whom we share the planet, but for putting that care and concern into concrete action.
Thank You for Sharing the Plate with UUAM
By choosing UUAM as your Share the Plate partner, your congregation affirms that compassion is expansive and that justice includes all beings.
Together, we can live our interdependence, and help create a kinder world for all.
