With many companies now wanting employees back in the office, Coastside Hope is struggling to find volunteers to help deliver food boxes in downtown Half Moon Bay. Ken Meyers, from Holy Family Episcopal Church, has requested local faith leaders for help with Coastside Hope’s senior food distribution program.

Coastside Hope partners with Second Harvest Food Bank on the second and fourth Monday of every month to provide groceries to over 130 seniors, many suffering from chronic health issues. These elder Coastsiders come from all walks of life and live at or below the poverty level. Without the Brown Bag Program, many would be forced to choose between food and necessities such as medication and utilities.

This distribution takes place from 1 to 3PM on the 2nd and 4th Mondays of every month. Volunteers use a cart to deliver pre-packed food boxes to seniors in the senior housing facility on Bloom Lane in downtown HMB. If you can volunteer, please contact Caitlen (caitlen@coastsidehope.org) at Coastside Hope. Your help will be very much appreciated!

Special announcement: Due to Pumpkin Festival Weekend, UUCC will meet over Zoom the Fourth Sunday in October instead of our usual Third Sundays.

On Sunday, October 22, we warmly welcome back Verna Barrientos to talk to us about the Mexican holiday Dia de los Muertos in a sermon entitled "Out of the Shadows and Into the Light—A Day of the Dead Tradition."

In our culture, death and grief are not talked about enough. Even though grief and loss are some of the challenges that we all will find ourselves at some point dealing with, all too often they are stigmatized and shoved into the shadows. Dia de Los Muertos (Day of the Dead) is a tradition where the dead come out to play and are brought into the light within the hearts, minds, and on the altars of many. Come learn more about this time-honored tradition during this service. Also, feel free to bring a photo, memento, or a picture in your head of a gone but not forgotten beloved family member, friend, loved one, or pet.

This particular service will be enriched by beautiful music and breath-taking images from this important Mexican tradition. Following the Gallery View Third Sunday format, this is a Zoom-only service.

For the Order of Service, click here

UUCC Zoom link: https://zoom.us/j/6617755196

or Meeting ID: 661 775 5196 Password: 416762

Please join us at 11:00 am Pacific, 2pm Eastern

Calling all UUCC Beloved Community and Friends! Let's gather for our monthly community lunch at Cafe Society on Saturday, October 28th, 1:30pm and then join ALAS in commemorating the Día de los Muertos festivities at Mac Dutra Plaza on Main St & Kelly! Experience live performances by Ballet Folklorico and Mariachi Media Luna, as well as displays of ofrendas/ altars, face painting, food trucks, and other engaging activities. Admission is free.

Kindly reach out to ALAS if you're interested in featuring an ofrenda/ altar (limited space).

The Touchstones Theme for November is Interdependence. On November 5, we welcome Steve Latner to the UUCC pulpit with a sermon entitled "The Blessings of Second Chances." Steve recounts a near death experience with meningitis and the blessings that were revealed to him as he recovered. He also references the story of "Jonah and the Whale" that he learned as a child in Unitarian Sunday School in Walnut Creek. Additionally, he draws inspiration from 12-step principles and the 1st UU principle, the inherent worth and dignity of every person. Beautiful music is provided by Diedrik and Kaj Edholm and Vera Vanderschalk.

This live in-person service takes place at Odd Fellows Hall, 526 Main Street, Half Moon Bay, CA, 94019. Mask wearing is no longer mandatory but we strongly encourage this added protection as a courtesy to some of our elders. Odd Fellows Hall is quite spacious for social distancing and includes a new high-circulation air ventilation system. An option to watch from home is also available on the day of the service.

Let's all wish UUCC's Principal Founder, Nancy Palmer, a very happy birthday on October 16th. She turns 84 and one of her tips for enjoying a long life is not to hurry, since that is when you tend to get hurt. Another advantage to being older is your nervous system has slowed down so you tend not to bump your head against the wall so often as younger people do, making life much easier. "The best is yet to come," says our Beloved Founder. You can send Nancy a birthday wish by emailing her here.

Now that we are meeting in person on First Sundays, we need help in different ways. Can you commit to helping out in any of the following ways?

• Photograph our November 5th Service
• Bring flowers!
• Greet people as they come in
• Set up chairs before, and/or put them away after, the Service
• Help unload and load video equipment for hybrid service
• Assist with setting up video equipment for hybrid service
• Pass out the orders of service and distribute hymnals
• Clean up of the hall before closing

To tell us how you can help our Beloved Community come together again, please contact us at uucoastside@gmail.com. And thanks to all who have or continue to volunteer!