For the past 20 years, I have worked alongside volunteers, learning their stories and seeing their commitment to making MCC the organization it is today. You are our lifeline to bring peace, development and relief to less-fortunate areas through your hard work and unyielding devotion. From receiving, to many production areas, to retail folks, truck driving and every job between, we could not do what we do without you.
In today’s economic climate, it is not lost on us how fortunate we are to have so many people offering up their time to volunteer with us. Your contributions help local initiatives in our communities from partner organizations with local shelters, churches
GM’s Corner
Dear Volunteers,
During National Volunteer Week, we take a moment to recognize and celebrate the incredible impact you make through your time, energy and compassion. Your commitment to serving others is truly inspiring. Whether you’re sorting donations, assisting customers or sharing a smile, your contributions create a ripple of kindness that reaches far and wide. You are the heart of our mission, and we are deeply grateful for everything you do.
and programs that work with newcomers, people struggling with homelessness, and various other enterprises. Globally, MCC can have the impact it does because of all that you do.
National Volunteer Appreciation Week is from April 27 to May 3, and words cannot properly express the amount of gratitude we feel for all your hard work. Let your shop staff teams spoil you rotten this week as you deserve all the good things life has to offer.
On behalf of the Ontario network—thank you!
Karla Musselman Thrift Coordinator
As we reflect on the power of volunteerism, we are reminded that real change happens when people like you show up, care deeply and give generously.
Thank you for being a part of our community and for making a difference every day.
With heartfelt appreciation,
Dave Chellaiah General Manager MCC Care & Share
Volunteer Appreciation
April 27 to May 3 is National Volunteer Appreciation week and our opportunity to celebrate YOU and the tremendous difference you make.
Your Being Here is Not an Accident.
The Lord has placed each of us here, in this place, for a purpose and a mission to His greater glory. We celebrate your dedication and your service in answering His call upon your heart.
“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” – Ephesians 2:10
We look forward to recognizing and acknowledging the impact your service and dedication has here at the Care and Share.
Town Hall
We are planning a Town Hall Meeting for all volunteers in the month of May.
The meeting will take place via Zoom and will be an opportunity for us to share with you some of the events and happenings within MCC and the Care and Share. There will be a time for you to ask questions as well. We look forward to this opportunity to share as we grow and move forward together. Watch for details and dates to follow.
Noteworthy Event
It is almost time again for our Spring Noteworthy Event
The receiving elves have been working diligently to help in our collection of amazing new, nearly new and vintage items to make this event extra special for all. Dates are yet to be determined but we are aiming for early June.
Extra volunteers will be needed to help during the event and ensure everything runs smoothly. Watch for dates and more details coming soon, and if you are available to help over and above your regular commitments, please let one of the staff know.
Sustainable Stouffville Bike Rally
The Care and Share is participating in this year’s Sustainable Stouffville Bike Rally. The rally will be launched at the Town’s Earth Day celebration on April 26 and will run until June 14.
Participants will get a Bike Rally booklet with a riddle for each stop in it. Once they figure out the stop, they need to find a poster there with the Sustainable Stouffville logo. Participants collect stamps for each location to complete the booklet and unscramble the letters and solve the puzzle. Completed Bike Rally booklets will be entered into a draw for a prize. All stops on the rally practise sustainability and are environmentally conscious. This is a wonderful opportunity to support our community and highlight the sustainable efforts we make together here at the Care and Share.
More information will be provided as the event approaches.
Active Bystander Training
Join Active Bystander Training (TAB) to learn how to safely intervene when you see harmful or isolating behavior. We’ll address bullying, relationship abuse, sexual violence, and emotional distress—helping you overcome hesitation and respond nonviolently. Strengthen our community with everyday actions that make a difference. Sign up and be a force for good!
We will be holding our next TAB workshop on Tuesday, May 6, 2025, from 1:30 PM to 4:00 PM on Zoom. If you are interested in attending, please register here (mcc.zoom.us/meeting/register/luCR83gEQPOZmuSB83f5A#/registration)
A blessing for our volunteers
Watch the video as a longtime MCC volunteer shares a meaningful prayer—a meaningful reminder of the care and commitment behind every act of service. Thank you for all that you do.
From Simulation to Orchard: Rockway Students Plant Seeds of Real Change
Your work is supporting peace, climate and the next generation of leaders right here in our community!
What began as a classroom role-playing exercise about managing a climate crisis budget turned into something real—and rooted—at Rockway Mennonite Collegiate. “We thought, ‘what if instead of asking them to manage hypothetical money in hypothetical roles, we gave them some actual money?’” says Ken Ogasawara of MCC’s Canadian Advocacy Network.
“When MCC offered us real money to do something, it got serious,” said Oliver Berg, a Grade 11 student. “There was a bunch of ideas. We thought maybe some rewilding. But then Mr. Penny [teacher] and Julia [fellow student] were wondering how can we incorporate the community and a social element?”
Then, students will learn harvest and preserve the fruit, connecting with Mennonite traditions of canning and food sharing. They plan to donate some of the produce to local food banks, addressing food insecurity while caring for the earth.
Mr. Penny, the teacher leading the Youth Leading Change initiative at Rockway, said he was initially hesitant about the orchard idea. “I said to them, ‘you’ll graduate before these trees bear fruit.” But he saw the wisdom of planning (and planting) for the long term.
Ken Ogasawara from MCC (far right) presents a cheque for $800 to students at Rockway Mennonite Collegiate to kick-start what is turning into a school-wide, multi-year climate action project.
The idea that stuck was an orchard.
“Mr. Pauls, our enviro-social teacher, first suggested the orchard, I think,” said Julia Abicht, a student who has taken a lead role in organizing the initiative. “We realized how an orchard would really diversify the benefits… It’s not just impacting the environment, but also our community at Rockway and the surrounding community, too.”
The fruit isn’t the only benefit of this project.
“We’ve also had conversations about turning it into more of a student space as well,” says Gem Morlock another Grade 11 student. “Students or people from the community can go somewhere and be surrounded by Nature and have a space to relax or learn.”
Rockway’s project is part of MCC’s “Youth Leading Change: Community Peacebuilding Certificate,” where students are encouraged to learn, act and transform their communities through peacebuilding. They are aiming to break ground on the orchard this spring! For information, write to communications@mcco.ca.
