Issuu

GM’s Corner

Today I saw a lady come in and another lady come in about three minutes after her. The two looked at each other, recognition hit, and they embraced and engaged in conversation for 20 minutes or more, so happy to see each other again. I love how often that happens here. And with all of you! I heard the Wednesday afternoon cashiers talking and laughing and it is just music to my ears! As we head into the Christmas season, may your hearts be filled with love and joy everywhere you go.

PennyHanslien

General Manager

MCC Thrift on Mill

Have you met Margaret, Helena and Susanna Friesen? They work at sorting clothing, measuring fabric and quilting. Great job, ladies!

Volunteer Appreciation Banquet

Thank you!

We also want to say a huge THANK YOU to UMEI Students who came for an in-service on Wednesday October 9, 2024.

They did sorting and pricing, cleaning and testing (Christmas lights). They will be back for a spring inservice (TBA). Thank you, UMEI!

Did you know?

MCC partners with Mennonite Disaster Service to help where urgently needed. Someone had asked where to give for hurricane survivors. Here is a snapshot of where you can investigate this further, and this is the website link: mds.org

Many thanks to Marlene for asking.

Peace Buttons

Christmas Giving Guides

Get your holiday orders in now for iHerb! :) Just Kidding. The new Christmas Giving Guides are here now. Great ideas for a great cause!

Volunteers Needed

• We need two to four truck drivers and delivery people rotating Wednesdays and rotating Saturday mornings and afternoons.

• We also need helpers (two) to put out clothes on Saturday mornings and afternoons, and we need helpers in Housewares (one or two) on Saturday mornings or afternoons.

Talk Climate, Practice Peace

As part of our ongoing commitment to care for God’s creation, MCC is encouraging our supporters to talk about climate. Join us in talking about climate change with your congregation, community, family or friends! Sign up to receive tips and tools in your inbox on how to navigate differences and uncover shared beliefs and interests. Be a brave peacemaker: Talk climate, practice peace! Sign up today.

We will have Peace buttons available for volunteers who wish to wear them this Remembrance Day. Check with a staff member to obtain one.

Training Active Bystanders Workshop

If you are a bystander witnessing a harmful situation, you have a choice to make. Learn how to interrupt harmdoing, generate positive actions by others and be more than a spectator through this important workshop. It is not an expectation of MCC Ontario for volunteers to step into unsafe or risky situations while volunteering. Please always seek out staff should these types of situations arise. The TAB training is to give tools for and reflections about everyday life situations you may come across to feel more equipped to know what to do.

Workshop options:

ONLINE - Wednesday, November 6th – 10:00am - 12:30pm

To register either click HERE or contact Holly McClement – hollymcclement@mcco.ca for support.

IN- PERSON - Thursday, November 7th – 1:30pm - 4:00pm (Only for those in the KW area—there is an inperson TAB training happening at 50 Kent on the 2nd floor)

To register either click HERE or contact Holly McClement – hollymcclement@mcco.ca for support. When you register, please use MCCVOLUNTEER in the payment section. This training is $25 for those who are not MCC staff or MCC volunteers. If you accidentally pay $25 for the training, please let me know and MCC will reimburse you.

MCC Thrift on Mill News

1. Christmas Open House is on November 7.

2. Thanks to all who attended the information session on October 8. Andrew Benson and his Walking with People in Poverty Team remain open to any feedback you may have. Send your emails to andrewbenson@mcco.ca.

3. The next AODA Training Day is on Wednesday, November 20, 2024 from 12:30–1:15 p.m. This is required for all volunteers Ontario-wide. This is the last session for the year. Please see Penny if you have not already taken the training. HUGE thank you to all who have so far!

If you prefer to do this online by yourself, here is the link: http://www.ohrc.on.ca/en/learning/workingtogether-code-and-aoda

Bring me your certificate once completed or let me know when you complete it if you choose the online non-certificate version. This is so that we can ensure everyone who has taken the training is registered in Volgistics as having completed it. We are shooting for 100% compliance by 2025.

4. Welcome back, Rudy Klassen! He will be helping out in Receiving on Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings.

Give the Gift of Change

December is around the corner, and all of you at MCC Thrift know a thing or two about gearing up for Christmas! While you are all diligently processing and selling Christmas trees, ornaments, and other items that might make it into a stocking, we’d like to talk about two projects that make meaningful gifts this season.

Bees-ness is buzzing

Beekeeping is a sweet way to enhance the livelihoods of small holder farmers in Northern Karamoja, Uganda by diversifying their income sources through integrated sustainable food systems. In response to the increasing impacts of climate change and conflict, this project, coordinated by MCC’s partner Dynamic Agro Pastoral Development Organization (DADO), provides training on income-generating activities, marketing, village savings groups, livestock and beekeeping. The project will be implemented in Opotipot, Kachapangole, Kangole and Geremech parishes, targeting 1,800 women and 1,600 youth.

As part of the beekeeping team, Robert Loketo (pictured above) can harvest honey to use for his family or to sell. He also benefits by establishing the beehives in strategic places to keep his crops safe from wild animals, especially elephants who are frightened away by bees. $11 assists beekeepers in

buying bees and beehives. Starting November 15, you can make a meaningful donation by purchasing “Bees” at MCC Thrift shops in Ontario.

Sew much more

MCC partner Jordanian Women Qualifying and Training Society (JWQTS) aims to strengthen families and foster peaceful coexistence by empowering women economically, socially and psychologically. The sewing project trains women in sewing, cosmetology, mobile maintenance and cooking, and it promotes cultural understanding through shared activities. A group of 40 marginalized women from Ma’an district in southern Jordan will benefit from this program. By gaining vocational skills and exposure to diverse perspectives, these women will become change agents in their families and communities, promoting gender equality and social inclusion.

Jumlah, a mother of six children, enrolled in the course, even though her husband did not want her to work. He grew to understand the importance of her building a career for herself and her passion for sewing and for intricate details. After her training at JWQTS, Jumlah continued perfecting her craft and now is known in her village near Petra as a skilled seamstress. She sews prayer sets, baby blankets, children’s dresses, curtains and aprons, and she makes alterations to clothes. Each piece is meticulously crafted. JWQTS has gifted her a Singer sewing machine for her to use at home. Jumlah is a role model for women in Jordan who face struggles in a culture dominated by men. Her drive and ambition have helped her to build and market her own business, which began with this sewing course.

$150, provides a sewing machine, empowering women like Jumlah to build livelihoods and uplift their communities.

Visit mcc.org/christmas/sewing-machine for more details.

Go to mcc.org/Christmas to find more gift ideas— from goats, to chickens, to fresh-water wells. And thank you for your continued work in MCC thrift shops across Ontario! Your skills, time and good cheer are a huge part of MCC’s work supporting people around the world live with peace and dignity.

Beekeeper Robert Loketo talks about the DADO apiary project in Kachapangole, Uganda. A beehive is in the tree in the background.