Keeping our valued volunteers informed
A Holiday Message From Our Executive Director
This Christmas season, we are reminded of the love of Christ, born in humble circumstances to bring hope and light to all. Through your efforts—at the receiving door, sorting or processing donations or on the retail floor—you mirror His example of kindness and compassion, sharing His love in practical ways.
May the peace and joy of Christ fill your hearts this Christmas and throughout the coming year. Thank you for volunteering and for making a difference in the lives of so many in need, both locally and around the world.
Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a blessed New Year!
Michelle Brenneman Executive Director, MCC Ontario MichelleBrenneman@mcco.ca
GM’s Corner
Greetings! We have seen this year go by so fast. Firstly, let me thank God for His blessings and guidance over each one of us. I am thankful for our staff, volunteers and customers for making Care & Share be a successful business entity. We started this year with some challenges; our sales and customer counts were down. We strongly feel that the economic conditions played a vital part in this. As a team we made a few changes to our price points and looked at strategies to increase our customer count. The last few months we do see an improvement in our sales and customer count being increased. We greatly appreciate our volunteers and staff for their dedication and passion in improving our stats. We also focused on our customers and did our best
to provide the best customer service to bring in the extra sales. This was very evident through our recent customer survey. We are known for our quality of goods and reasonable pricing. We not only serve the immediate community but also have earned the best store to shop from the out-of-town customers. From time to time we also make sure we have events to entice our customers. In November, we had an exciting event called the “Noteworthy Event.” During this three-day sale, we made $5,719 and sold 138 items! This was on top of our regular daily sales. Thank you to all those who helped make this event a huge success.
Dave Chellaiah General Manager MCC Care & Share
Annual MCC Ontario Volunteer Survey
You may have already received the MCC Ontario Volunteer Survey. MCC Ontario cares about the experience you and the many other volunteers are having while giving of your time and skills to serve alongside us in this work of relief, development and peace. We would love to hear from you to help us see what is going well and what we need to work on. Kindly click this link to share your feedback with us: www.surveymonkey.com/r/2024MCCOVOLUNTEER
Welcome!
We are excited to welcome 13 new volunteers!
Victoria Y.
Vee G.
Kurtis B.
Boris H.
Neda M.
Andrea M.
Shirley L.
Katie B.
Shakiba G.
Kristy I.
Health and Safety
Vannica Y.
Zakia A.
Gavin L.
• Dave: December 23–27 Staff
• Sean: December 21–January 5
With winter arriving and rearing its icy head, we want to remind you about the potential hazards it brings. We have our parking lot plowed and salted when required, and we can add extra salt ourselves if needed. Due to the incline that the parking lot is at, ice forms in the parking lot on the way to the volunteer door. Though we salt it, please use extra caution when walking through the parking lot to and from your cars this winter!
Mandatory AODA Training
As of January 1, 2025, Ontario is implementing accessibility standards across the province. At MCC Ontario, we are committed to meeting that goal and have all volunteers and staff trained to meet the requirements. This means that if you have not yet watched the AODA training videos and completed the quiz, you will be required to do so before December 31, 2024. I will be reaching out to those whose training is outstanding to resend the videos and quiz. If you would prefer to do it at the shop, I can host training sessions during the week. Thank you for your cooperation and understanding.
Goodbye for Edna P.!
We had a celebration and goodbye for Edna P. for over 30 years of volunteering at the Care & Share!
Merry Christmas!
We wish you a very Merry Christmas! As a small token of our appreciation for you, we have festive Christmas cookies for each of you. We will begin handing them out on December 9, so make sure you come in to get one!
2023/2024 Annual Impact Report
Our annual impact report has arrived! Check out our digital version online, and don’t forget to take a look at highlights from Ontario.
Welcoming the Stranger: A Journey of Hope and New Beginnings
Your work in MCC thrift shops has been a part of “welcoming the stranger” to our communities for years by supporting our migration and resettlement program. For over 40 years, compassionate Canadians have been sponsoring refugees to start new lives in Canada.
When Keli, Anderson and their two sons, David and Samuel, arrived at Pearson International Airport in Toronto, Canada, they carried the weight of years of hardship as Venezuelan refugees. After six years seeking asylum in a neighbouring country, they were uncertain about their future. Keli recalled the fear they felt, saying, “It was hard to imagine a brighter future when we had been met with exclusion and prejudice in the past.” But as they walked into the terminal, they were greeted by a group holding signs that read, “Bienvenidos! Welcome to Canada!” Keli said, “In that moment, it was as if every sorrow from our past was swept away.”
Office Referred (BVOR) program. MCC Ontario
Executive Director Michelle Brenneman explained, “It’s a way for us to live our values—deepening our commitment to supporting people who are vulnerable.” The sponsor group faced challenges, such as securing housing, but with community support, they found a condo for the family in downtown Kitchener.
Joel Font—part of the IT support team at MCCO— knew the experience all too well, having been a refugee from Venezuela himself. “When I arrived in Canada, many people supported me,” he reflected. “Now it’s my chance to give back.” For the first time, Keli and Anderson felt seen and supported. Anderson shared, “Everyone from MCC has approached us with kindness, love and so much support. I can only say that this is God working for us.”
The warm welcome came from staff at MCC Ontario, who decided to take part in a refugee sponsorship initiative through the Blended Visa
Though the journey ahead remains difficult, Keli expressed, “We know we can ask for help. MCC is a big family that protects us.” Anderson agreed and added, “It’s sometimes overwhelming, but we see it as God’s blessing. We are so grateful.”
Beekeeper Robert Loketo talks about the DADO apiary
Lunch & Listen: An MCC Journey Through Uganda
Join us for an inspiring presentation as MCC staff Lynda Lynch and Debbie Siertsema share their experiences from a recent learning tour in Uganda, where they explored MCC’s impactful programs across the region. Join us in person in the Community Room, 50 Kent Ave., Kitchener or watch the livestream on Facebook.
