SHoWLE Is Community

Members and Friends of the Secular Humanists of Western Lake Erie vol­un­teer our time and resources in our Toledo com­mu­ni­ty to help oth­ers and bring aware­ness about Humanism to the gen­er­al pub­lic. Here are some exam­ples of our efforts:

We have vol­un­teered to help out the Seagate Food Bank to cel­e­brate Darwin Day and the Secular Week of Action. Seagate is the only inde­pen­dent food bank in Northwest Ohio and they have a strong senior food box pro­gram. One year we also help pack items for Project PJ.

Since 2024, we have host­ed a Kid’s movie and FREE PIZZA at the West Toledo Branch Library audi­to­ri­um at the end of the month. It is a way to address a need of afford­able activ­i­ties for kids with­out any strings attached. Library Village has a large pop­u­la­tion of under­served kids who may need a free activ­i­ty at the end of the month. We would like to do it every month but do to fund­ing issues we have been lim­it­ed to June, July, and August. If you would like to donate to the out­reach we accept cash and we would also accept oth­er snacks like oranges and car­rot sticks.

Kids Movie turn out

For sev­er­al years we’ve worked with the Lucas County Children Services to help a strug­gling fam­i­ly at the hol­i­days. We know as Humanists that some fam­i­lies need help all year round but being a small group, reach­ing out at the hol­i­days help the chil­dren have a hap­py time. We hope to expand our out­reach in the future.

We have had an infor­ma­tion­al booth at some Toledo com­mu­ni­ty events such as the Pride fes­ti­val, the Old West End Festival, and the Maumee Summer Fair. This is the time we talk to folks who don’t know what we are about, hand out some swag, and appear in pub­lic. You don’t need to be expe­ri­enced to staff the booth, only be will­ing to talk to peo­ple about Humanism.

Humanists Show Up

Whether it’s the Toledo Pride Parade to sup­port the LGBTQIA+ com­mu­ni­ty or show­ing up to protest unjust gov­ern­ment actions like the George Floyd mur­der and the No Kings Protests, Humanists in Toledo show up. We work close­ly with groups like Toledo Troublemakers, Toledo Persists, and Honesty for Ohio Education to express our val­ues in pub­lic. We aren’t afraid to defend rights for every­one in the coun­try.