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Justice and Outreach Council

Monthly Digest

June 2023

Welcome to the Justice and Outreach Council (JOC)'s monthly newsletter.

A place to find all the happenings of this active ministry at Trinity.

Dinner in Alameda Park. Trinity will preparing dinner and serving in the park again on Thursday, June 22. Check the online sign-up for volunteer opportunities or email Sarah Thomas, sthomas@trinitysb.org. Trinity's next dinner will be on June 22.

Transition House Meal Preparation for June. The Trinity volunteer team shops, prepares, and serves a dinner meal at Transition House (425 E Cota St) for approximately 60 residents on the 4th Saturday of the month (June 24). Contact Teresa Pietsch teresapietsch4@gmail.com for more details or check the online sign-up for how to get involved.

Gun Violence Prevention Task Force: Sunday, May 28.

Many thanks to those of you who attended the Gun Violence Prevention Forum on May 28. Interest and enthusiasm for Trinity involvement was evident. From your comments and a simply survey of participants, four areas of exploration and action evolved:

A.  advocate for stricter firearms licensing requirements,             

B.  promote restrictions of firearms sales by location or type,                  

C.  initiate safety measures in public places to prevent gun violence, and

D. support pending legislation.

These items will be on the JOC meeting agenda on June 19. Please join us.

For more information, please contact Ken Johnson (41omaha73@gmail.com) who is leading this effort as part of JOC.

Episcopal Relief & Development Supports

People in Türkiye with Food, Shelter and Other Supplies



Episcopal Relief & Development is partnering with Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe (DKH) and International Blue Crescent (IBC) to provide food, shelter, supplies and mental health support to people in Türkiye affected by the earthquakes in early February 2023. 

With Episcopal Relief & Development’s support, DKH is responding to meet the needs of over 30,000 people in Türkiye by providing needs-based, dignified, safe and community-driven support. Their response includes providing shelter to 2,000 people, family hygiene for 12,000, clean water for 4,800, mental health services for 300 and staff care for 95. 

Area Agency on Aging

2023 Farmers Market Vouchers:

The Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program (SFMNP) is a federally funded program administered nationally by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Services Agency, and in California, by the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA).

Benefits are provided to individuals 60 years of age and older who are on a limited income, allowing access to fresh produce from local farmers’ markets. Qualified senior recipients may receive only one check booklet per season (voucher), which typically runs from May-September. Quantities are limited. Click here for a list of authorized Farmers Markets.

Contact the Area Agency on Aging at (805) 925-9554 option 5 to see if you qualify. 

The Santa Barbara County Food Bank

A free lunch program for children under the age of 18 in Santa Barbara County starts June 12.

The program, called Picnic in the Park, is hosted by the Foodbank of Santa Barbara County and provides free, nutritious lunches to kids Monday through Friday. It runs for 11 weeks during the summer break at 11 locations in the county. You can learn more at their website.

June is PRIDE Month at PLANNED PARENTHOOD

LGBTQ+ people of color, and all LGBTQ+ communities, continue to face unconscionable attacks on their right to control their bodies, their humanity, and their access to health care and inclusive education due to systemic racism and discrimination. Planned Parenthood California Central Coast (PPCCC) recognizes the diversity and richness of LGBTQ+ communities and is committed to delivering affirming, supportive health services and education to everyone, regardless of gender identity or sexual orientation. Trinity and PPCCC is in this together, with Jenna Tosh, Ph.D. serving as President & CEO.

The Environmental Defense Center

The Supreme Court of the US declined to hear a challenge to offshore oil fracking ban!

This means that the Circuit Court decision that declared, 'more environmental analysis is needed', still stands. EDC has the community's back. We support their excellent work. This is another big win. Below is the SB Independent article about this:

https://www.independent.com/2023/06/05/a-win-for-the-pacific-ocean-at-the-supreme-court/

National Immigration Law Center

The threat to Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) is real. The impact is devastating — hundreds of thousands of young immigrants are denied the ability to go to college, pursue careers, and build their lives in the country they know as home.

In fact, it’s been 20 years since NILC helped draft the original DREAM Act, and in just days, 11 years will have passed since DACA was first announced. Year after year, and in court case after court case, we have fought on behalf of immigrant youth — all the while Congress has failed to act. Join us as we send an urgent message to our elected officials that they must do their jobs and pass a permanent solution for immigrant youth before it’s too late >>>

Every month we publish a story of justice, ministry, and volunteerism from a Trinity parishioner. 

This month we feature Helene Gardner. Helene joined Trinity in 2022 and serves on the Justice and Outreach Council. Here is her story.

"When I walked into the Parish Hall for the Discernment Retreat on a Friday evening last fall, there was the happy hum of friends greeting each other as they gathered around the big round tables I have come to love . . . continue reading here.

Sign Language Class in the Library: Tuesdays through June 27, 1-2pm

Social isolation is a major problem for those who can’t hear or speak. Learning in class helps reduce isolation and build a community within Trinity that is inclusive. The class is intended for those with little or no sign language experience but have a desire to learn and communicate. Eric Brody is the teacher and a deaf person and has taught sign language at UCSB. He encourages anyone who is losing their hearing, have some degree of hearing loss, or have deaf family and friends to take the class. A late start is okay. $50 suggested donation, but no one will be turned away. To register email drcarolynroberts@aol.com. 

Look for the blue celebration envelopes in the pews

and recognize a birthday, an anniversary, graduation, engagement, a special event of any sort for which you are thankful. Turn your “celebration” into a donation to the Justice and Outreach Council. We will use these funds to provide comfort and safety to those in need—food, education for children, assistance to immigrants—any of our neighbors needing support. . . so they can celebrate. Together, these gifts make possible our community of welcome, reconciliation, and service.

We extend a special thank you to our May donors:

Michael Dean, Anna Kokotovic, Irene Marsi, Molly Kellogg, Michele Peterson, Sarah Fenstermaker, Amera Jordan, Jeannie Christensen, Jean Lange Davis, Michelle Petersen, Kim and Paul Larsen.

In honor of Kathryn Dean, celebration fund donations were received from:

Teresa and Tim Angulo, Linda Ferratta, Don and Siu Zimmerman, Cami Segna, Glen and Norma Stuck, Betty and Pete Wenzel, Joan and Gail Campanella, Carol Carpenter and Janet Barr, Lawrence and Marianne Kugler, Irene Marsi, Kay Morris, Morris Family Trust, Beatrice Oshika, Donald and Sharon Lafler, and Joe Schneider of Word & Life.

The Justice and Outreach Council (JOC) continues its important work in our community and beyond. Funding for the JOC comes from your pledges and Celebration offerings. The JOC’s funding is part of our annual operating budget where five percent (5%) of all pledges received during the year is put in the JOC account. 

There are two ways you can continue to celebrate and support our justice work in addition to your pledges both now and in the future. Send in a check made out to Trinity and simply note “Justice” in the memo line and provide the names of the persons or occasion you want to celebrate. Or donate via Trinity’s PayPal account, select "Justice Fund" and under “special instructions” provide the names of the persons or occasion you want to celebrate. Thank you to all our loyal supporters!

Land Acknowledgement

We honor and acknowledge the Chumash people, the traditional custodians of this land, and pay our respects to the Chumash elders, past, present, and future, who call this land on which we sit their home. We appreciate their wisdom, their culture, and their presence among us today as the host people of this land. We lament the injustices done to the original inhabitants and the injustices done to this land in the centuries since. We seek the courage and wisdom to heal the wounds of the past and build a better future together, in deep solidarity.

1500 State St, Santa Barbara, CA, 93101 | 805-965-7419 | office@trinitysb.org