Beyond Belief Network teams demonstrate community action

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Foundation Beyond Belief’s Beyond Belief Network is a network of secular humanist groups volunteering in their communities and raising money for FBB’s featured charities and programs. Any group with a public secular humanist or atheist identity is welcome to join, regardless of experience or group size.

Austin Atheists Helping the Homeless collected more than 1,575 items from the community for their monthly giveaway. What a record breaker! During the June giveaway, more than thirty members volunteered. ATXAHH lost count of how many people came through their line after 130. In addition to distributing basic living supplies, they had some special items for the summer, including insect repellent wipes, sunglasses and cool wraps. The ATXAHH Gettin’ Knotty knitting guild also knitted and donated 68 cloths to the June giveaway. It’s nice to add these special items to the giveaways. While many people take washcloths for granted, they are a luxury for some people, especially those experiencing homelessness.

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During June, Pikes Peak Atheists & Pikes Peak Atheist Families collected donations for a local youth homeless shelter, Urban Peak. Urban Peak services youths between the ages of 15-20. They collected 164 items, including toiletries, school supplies and clothes. Pikes Peak also held a corn hole tournament and a poker event where they raised $68 in donations.

Lehigh Valley Humanists were also busy. First, they supported the arts by volunteering at a free concert in their community. They provided volunteers to assist concert organizers with a variety of administrative and logistical tasks, including collecting donations for the concert and distributing concert programs. In return, LVH was able to set up an informational table to help spread the word about their group. In a separate service event, LVH collected donated items for The Gress Mountain Ranch. The ranch is a permanent home for over 50 animals rescued from abuse or neglect. For many sanctuaries, this would be the end of the mission. But TGMR takes things one step further. The animals are trained and socialized to become co-therapists for people suffering from emotional or mental trauma. In essence, the animals, who were once unwanted, find a new life by helping others.  LVH also donated food and other supplies related to caring for the animals.

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FFRF Metropolitan Chicago Chapter collected and delivered forty-seven pounds of packaged food goods to the Northern Illinois Food Pantry.

Kol Hadash volunteered at the Beth Emet soup kitchen. They purchased, prepared and served dinner to more than one hundred guests. Some volunteers cooked the meal, others made sack lunches that were given to the guests as they left, and others set the tables with white linen cloths. They worked nonstop for nearly three hours. It was a true team effort and a really rewarding experience for everyone.

Freethought Dayton cleaned up their section of adopted highway, a four-part exit/on-ramp system. In almost exactly two hours, seven members collected nine bags of trash.

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If you are a member of a secular humanist or atheist group and would like to participate in community service projects under the national umbrella of Foundation Beyond Belief, join Beyond Belief Network. We welcome all atheist groups interested in service, from groups with extensive volunteer experience to newly formed groups new to secular service. By aggregating our efforts, we demonstrate that all we really need is charity and goodness to make the world a better place.