Change for Change

Change for Change involves raising contributions to give to selected organizations. This is done monthly by members and friends who deposit their spare change in a jar during our meetings. It's voluntary and outside any contributions made to the society.

All deposited funds are given directly to the charity selected for that month. The recipients are selected from member and friend suggestions made during the year. The names of these charities are placed "in a hat" and one name is randomly drawn each month to receive the funds. The charity should be rated by "Charity Navigator" (charitynavigator.org) as a valid charity or be known by a member or friend to be of high quality and service to its target population

IFC Community Kitchen

This program was founded by the Inter-faith Council for Social Services. It's motto is Food from the Community, For the Community. Anyone who is hungry can eat. The Community Kitchen offers three hot and nutritious meals per day, 365 days a year, free of charge to Community House residents and other community members. On the fourth Thursday of each month, January through October, EHST members prepare, cook and serve an evening meal for 100 diners. Our entire membership participates. Five to six people cook from 4-6pm, and people serve from 6-7:15. It's great fun and a worthy endeavor!

IFC Food Pantry

The first Sunday of each month our members contribute food items for distribution to IFC's food pantry. The mission of the food pantry is a local response to hunger by working with the community to provide food security, adequate food supplies and support individuals and families. Members self-shop for grocery items on the pantry shelves to take home and prepare.

Committees

Several EHST committees support the work of our society.

Platform Speakers - We present 24 Platform Speakers each year. This entails identifying speakers that share commonalities with our mission and goals. We contact potential speakers, ask about availability, schedule dates, and request topic information. This information is included in issues of Spotlight News and emailed to members and visitors on EHST's listserv.

Ethical Action - This is an outreach project, touching base with local organizations that support ethical actions and offering our support. The committee's mission is to work with these agencies to alleviate social problems. We are committed to work in our community to correct social injustice.

Fundraising - We are funded primarily by membership dues, and there is no set fee for membership. Our work is entirely voluntary, but there are always administrtive costs involved with running an organization. Fundraising is mandatory to ensure the society maintains and grows. Each year several events are planned to raise funds. Success depends on members' creative ideas, organizational efforts, and follow through.

Membership - This committee focuses on action plans for increasing membership and effectively implementing. Increasing membership is key to a successful organization.

Projects Outside Our Walls

In addition to EHST projects and activities within our walls, members and friends volunteer for local community organizations in many ways.

Prisoner visitation and support at Butner Federal Prison
Bridge coordinator, Chapel Hill Newcomers Club
Food collection at Cedars for IFC Food Pantry
Cornucopia House, special events
Habitat for Humanity, building homes
Leads a support group for parents of special needs children
Board Member, The North Carolina Society for Clinical Hypnosis
Conduct creative art therapy workshops
Women's Center, database entry
Club Nova, cothing distribution
Ronald McDonald House, greeting visitors
Playmakers, seating
The ArtsCenter, ticket office
Meals on Wheels, deserts
WomenCircle, web site
Family Violence Prevention Center, office tasks
Orange County Rape Crisis Center, telephones
UNC-TV, fundraising
Family Violence Prevention Center, intake questionnaire
Public libraries, book repair

January, Annual Members Meeting
Membership elects new Board members and approves the new budget. Our President reports new business and other issues to the society for discussion.

February, Darwin Day
We celebrate the work of Charles Darwin with a Platform Speaker presenting issues related to Darwin’s work or a contemporary topic related to evolution.

May, Founder’s Day
Commemoration of our society’s founding. We honor those who started the society, review its history, and pay our respects to those who make it function today.

October, Fall Membership Meeting
We review the year’s accomplishments, introduce the fall pledge campaign, and receive feedback from membership.

November, Stone Soup Celebration
We celebrate Thanksgiving by recounting the Stone Soup story and its ethical lessons for us. The vegetarian soup is made with ingredients from each member, and members and friends enjoy the soup and fellowship.

December, Winter Solstice
We honor Winter Solstice in a variety of ways but focus on how humanists find meaning in both this ancient tradition and the season in contemporary society.

Visitors are always welcome to attend these events.