Summertime! In Canadian culture July and August are typically the months of the year when we do things differently! Students take a break from school. Parents seek to find activities to keep kids busy. Camping, cottaging, water sports, bonfires and all kinds of outdoor pursuits are enjoyed by people of all ages. We shift the regular rhythms of life to pursue recreational activities.
The word “recreation” originates from the Latin word “recreare,” which means “to create again,” “to revive,” or “to refresh.”
Re-creation comes in many forms for many different people. For our volunteers who are retirees, it may mean spending time at the cottage with family. For volunteers who are parents of young children, recreation may mean getting out of the house to have some adult conversation while volunteering! For students, it may mean connecting with friends or serving your community hours!
For our staff team, this means some vacation time away from the Shop and regular routines. In August, Chris Richardson will experience a unique recreational activity as he participates in a three-day “Learning Tour” to Timmins, ON. This will provide opportunity to see one of MCC Ontario’s program initiatives with Indigenous Neighbours. We look forward to learning from him when he returns. What is it that you are doing differently this summer? What might be the “re-creational” activity that brings you joy?
Tim Albrecht
General Manager
MCC Thrift, St. Catharines
BIRTHDAYS
Welcome!
Welcome to the following new volunteers who joined us recently!
MCC Ontario Peace Conference
November 1, 2025 at Rockway Mennonite Collegiate in Kitchener
The MCC Peace Conference is your chance to learn the art of everyday peace and experience first-hand how you and MCC are changing lives and communities through peacebuilding. This event will inspire and inform through general sessions and conversations with messengers of peace. Save the date (November 1) and stay tuned for more details!
Emmah D.Processing
Nicholas C.Processing Philip A.Processing
Julian C.Receiving Receiving
Robin A. - Retail Tyler S.Receiving
Student Volunteer Photos
We have been blessed this summer with 29 active High School volunteers. Here are a few shots of our Summer Student Volunteer Team in action!
Summer Picnic Summer Picnic You ’ re invited!
Monday, August 25th, 6–8pm
If you need transportation, rides will leave from the Shop at 5:15pm. Please bring a lawn chair/jacket/bug spray.
A beautiful lakefront property in Niagara-on-the-Lake
Directions: From Lakeshore Road, Hwy 87, turn onto Firelane 2 Road, then turn right onto Firelane 2A Road and go to the end. The property is at the end of that road on the left-hand side. (See the map below and the star marks the spot.) (Abe Epp’s)
Introducing our Canada Summer Jobs students
Sofia Sharhorodska, Warehouse and Receiving Associate
I am Sofia. I went to school at St. Catharines Collegiate and I graduated high school this past June. I’m interested in working in Christian community and to learn about teamwork. Also, I want experience in work at the Thrift Store. In the Fall I’m going to attend Niagara College in the hairstyling program
Chelsea Brooks, Retail Associate
I’ve been attending Eden High School and will be going into grade 12 this Fall.
Working in a Christian environment is something that I wanted for myself, as well as gaining more experience in retail roles. I hope to learn more about working with volunteers and how the retail world works.
This Fall, I am heading to Eden HS for my final year as I work towards pursuing social work at McMaster University. I also plan to return to MCC as a volunteer and continue to actively serve at my church.
Training Active Bystanders
This workshop helps you learn simple ways to speak up or take action when you see something harmful happening. You’ll get tools to feel more confident in everyday situations. MCC Ontario volunteers are not expected to step into unsafe situations—always talk to staff if something serious happens. This training is about helping you feel ready and supported. Contact Holly McClement, hollymcclement@mcco.ca, if you are interested in registering for and participating in the next workshop on Wednesday, Sept. 10th, from 9:30 am12pm ONLINE.
Circle of Friends Celebrates 25 Years
Circle of Friends celebrated 25 years of relationships and community-building with a gathering of old and new friends and volunteers. It started in the year 2000 with a simple observation of the profound loneliness of folks coming off the streets into secure housing. Margaret Nally, one of the key people who helped to envision and establish Circle of Friends, recalls the testimony of a woman who used to live at Mary’s Place, a shelter of the YWCA. “She said, ‘I never had a door to close to protect myself at the shelter or on the street... but once I got an apartment and that door closed, I broke down in tears.’” Circle of Friends was created to fill that void of loneliness.
Circle of Friends is made up of a small group of volunteers and a staff member who meet weekly over coffee or card games with monthly activities with other circles. It’s a time of community-building, relationship-growing and just plain fun.
The anniversary event featured trivia, food and drinks, a few words from MCC executive director Michelle Brenneman (who worked with Circle of Friends in the early days!) and reflections from participants and volunteers. Tex, a Circle of Friends participant, shared
these words: “Circle of Friends helped me to not only make friends, but to grow as a person, too.”
