A Message From Our Thrift Director
Dear Volunteers,
As we step into a new year, I want to take a moment to express my heartfelt gratitude for all that you do. Your time, effort and care are gifts that breathe life into the mission of MCC Thrift. Each hour you dedicate— sorting donations, welcoming shoppers, arranging displays or working behind the scenes—carries a ripple effect far beyond what we can see. Your service not only makes our shops welcoming spaces but also transforms lives, from local communities here in Ontario to families and individuals in need across the globe.
The work you do is deeply rooted in the values of service and love for our neighbours. Through your commitment, we’ve seen tangible results: food security initiatives, education programs for children
and peacebuilding efforts in conflict zones. Closer to home, you’ve helped foster a culture of sustainability and provided affordable options for those in need. As Proverbs 11:25 reminds us, “A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.” Your generosity refreshes countless lives, reflecting God’s love in action.
As this year unfolds, may you be blessed with health, joy and the knowledge that your efforts continue to make a difference. Your hands and hearts are part of something far-reaching and transformative. Thank you for being a vital part of this work—your contributions are cherished beyond words. With deep appreciation,
Lynda Lynch
MCC Ontario Thrift Director
GM’s Corner
Thrifted Treasure … Soul Treasure
Our MCC Thrift St. Catharines Leadership Team (John Himes, Assistant Manager and Tim Albrecht, General Manager) meet once a month with a couple of volunteers who take seriously the task of prayer. We pray together for the specific needs of our Shop, our staff and volunteers.
Erna Kornelsen and Margaret Penner have been friends since childhood. They received food and clothing from MCC when their families were displaced in the 1940s. When their declining health forced them to retire from volunteering in our processing area, they agreed to continue volunteering in a different way. Their passion for the work of MCC motivated them to support our work by praying about the requests that we share each month.
One month they prayed specifically for 10 new volunteers. We were all amazed to count exactly 10 volunteers who went through our orientation process in the previous month! In December, Brian, a manager from another shop, joined us for prayer. Brian mentioned a volunteer he had interacted with who was feeling tired and acknowledged a loss of purpose in their work. His encouragement to our team came from words in Isaiah 58: “if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday.”
May you be encouraged at the beginning of 2025 to know that as you “spend yourself”— your time, your energy—with fellow volunteers, your work continues to satisfy the needs of the hungry and oppressed around us.
Tim Albrecht General Manager MCC Thrift, St. Catharines
Volunteer Farewells
Elenore served with us for three years, most often alongside Sue F. Elenore appreciates the friends she made along the way. Her Friday morning friends blessed her in her retirement. Elenore Wormald (photo cred: Tim Albrecht, Dec.)
Weslande volunteered since early 2023, while her children were in school. Now it’s Weslande’s turn to go to school! We wish her well as she pursues a nursing degree at Niagara College! Weslande Cius Irene Braun celebrated her 89th birthday in December. With her retirement, she reinforced the oftdisputed idea that it is possible to retire from MCC Thrift! :) We wish her well.
Volunteer Stats
• We have 152 active volunteers at the end of 2024. 43 of those joined us sometime between April and December this year! We celebrate that! That means that 71% of our volunteers have been with us since 2023 or earlier! We’re a stable group!
• However, this DOESN’T mean that we are NOT in need of more volunteers. The number of volunteers joining our team is approximately the same as those who move on to other employment, or retiring, etc.
• We currently have a variety of volunteer openings every day in one of our three departments: Retail Floor, Receiving, and Processing
• If you’re interested in a change in your schedule (i.e. what days you’re volunteering, how many hours/shifts in a week, or your placement), now is a good time to indicate that change to Tim or to the staff supervisor of your department. We will do what we can to accommodate your availability.
• If you know of someone who might be interested in joining our volunteer team, please direct them to our application form on our website: St. Catharines – MCC Thrift Ontario
Welcome!
Welcome to the following new volunteers who joined us in December
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
Staff Christmas
Our staff team got together for some fun to celebrate Christmas. Not only do they know how to thrift, but they can also all add gingerbread-house-building to their resume!
John and Ana , MCC Photo/Tim Albrecht
Chris and Emily, MCC Photo/Tim Albrecht
Wes and Nicole , MCC Photo/Tim Albrecht
Shariefa Ali (Processing)
Chelsey Hoang (Retail)
Mazen Karamalla (Retail)
Laurie McDonald (Receiving)
Say Hello!
We welcomed Wes Couture-Burke as our Team Member for Processing (Hard Goods) in November 2024. Here’s a little interview between Tim and Wes, to help us get to know him a little better.
Tim: What was your previous work experience?
Wes: I worked at Goodwill for 6 years. Over the past 2 years I was Assistant Manager at the Glendale Goodwill location. I also spent a couple of summers as a Canada Summer Jobs student at Habitat ReStore.
Tim: Where did you go to school after high school?
Wes: I took Sports Management at Humber College
Tim: What do you like about working at MCC Thrift so far?
Wes: I like that every day is a new adventure. Also, I enjoy building new relationships.
Tim: What do you enjoy doing when you’re not at work?
Wes: When I am not working, I enjoy playing sports and Board games!
Tim: Tell us a bit about your family.
Wes: My wife’s name is Nicole. We have been married for 2 years. We are adding to our family in May!
Tim: What are/is your favourite…?
Wes:
* Hobbies? Playing sports like Slo-pitch, Dodge Ball, Ball Hockey.
* Memory? My wedding!!!
* Restaurant? Big Tuna
* Movie? Up
* Vacation? Disney World! BIRTHDAYS
