Keeping our valued volunteers informed
GM’s Corner
I want to take a moment to sincerely thank each of you for participating in Volunteer Appreciation Week. It was a wonderful opportunity to connect with you all in a meaningful way. Your dedication and generosity make a lasting impact, and we are truly grateful for everything you do.
A special thank you as well to our incredible staff for their efforts in making this event such a success. Your hard work and commitment do not go unnoticed!
We were delighted to welcome Selina Davis, our
new Volunteer Engagement Manager, who joined us on May 1st. Many of you may have already had the chance to meet her, but if not, I encourage you to take a moment in the coming weeks to introduce yourselves and connect with her. Your support will be invaluable as she transitions into her new role.
Thank you for your ongoing support and dedication. We simply could not do what we do without volunteers like you!
Brian Ingram
Acting General Manager MCC Care & Share
Welcome Selina - Our New Volunteer Engagement Manager
We are delighted to welcome our new Volunteer Engagement Manager Selina Davis. Selina’s first day was May 1st, perfectly in the middle of Volunteer Appreciation week. Her first few weeks have been a whirlwind as she gets to know staff, volunteers and this crazy world we call thrift. If you have yet to meet her, never fear, her infectious smile is here to stay, and she will meet and get to know everyone soon.
We asked Selina to write something to tell us a little bit about herself.
I’m a proud mom of two young girls. In my spare time I love volunteering in my family’s church since we planted it in 2002—mainly in youth ministry and worship leading (aka wrangling teens and attempting the high notes??)
I dabble in photography but don’t ask me about gear, I just twist and push buttons until it looks cool. Summer is my FAVOURITE; give me all the warmth, beach days and all the sunshine!
I’m also a professional yapper, fluent in Yappenese… but only after my iced coffee (yes, iced even in the dead of winter). Pre-caffeine? Don’t even try.
Super excited to be the new Volunteer Engagement Manager and I can’t wait to meet all of you!
A Voice for the Voiceless: Justin’s Journey from DRC to Canada
Your work in volunteering at MCC’s thrift shop allows MCC to support refugees and their sponsors who are generously choosing welcome to support refugees resettling in Canada.
Justin Zihindula is one of those people. Justin has not only sponsored folks to resettle in Canada, but he himself was a refugee once and carries the weight of decades of war, displacement and survival. A nurse practitioner from eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Justin fled his homeland in 2003 when the conflict that began with the fall of President Mobutu in 1997 turned into a prolonged humanitarian crisis.
“The entire country was invaded… people were killed… the displacement is unspeakable,” Justin says. According to reports, over 6 million people have been killed in the conflict since 1997.
He lived in Uganda for six years, witnessing thousands of Congolese trapped in refugee camps without basic needs. He eventually resettled in Canada in 2009 with his wife, children and niece. Determined to help others, he sponsored additional family members and, more recently, a young woman and her children whose lives were threatened after she resisted a job offer from an illegal organ trafficking operation.
continues to advocate for those still waiting for safety. “There are very many Congolese currently in Uganda who have been there for over 10, 20 years… They have no clean water, they have no food, they have nothing.”
The ongoing crisis in eastern DRC has reached a new level of urgency. In January 2025, the rebel group M23 escalated violence in Goma, displacing hundreds of thousands. “My family members had to run for their lives,” Justin says. “Children saw corpses lying in the streets. It’s horrifying.”
Through it all, Justin remains deeply grateful:
Bahati Kamara Chance, receives food from MCC partner ECC MERU during the distribution to war-displaced people at the Poste camp in Minova, South Kivu, DRC. She received corn flour, salt, and beans. MCC has been working in DRC since 1960.
“Thank you to MCC for the tremendous work they have invested in… helping many refugees who are stuck and who have no voice. I pray that MCC continues to connect with new sponsors—people with the heart to help. We need them.”
Despite the trauma, Justin has not turned away from the needs of his people. He returned to DRC in 2020 to assess the impact of displacement and famine and
With more than 8 million people displaced inside DRC and over 1 million seeking refuge abroad, MCC’s commitment to peace, advocacy and sponsorship offers a lifeline of hope. In addition to supporting refugee sponsorship here in Ontario, MCC is also responding to the humanitarian crisis in DRC with hygiene kits, cash distribution, and long-term livelihood trainings and development projects for those affected by the violence.
