November 2024 MCC Care & Share Volunteer Newsletter
Keeping our valued volunteers informed
AM’s Corner
I was born and grew up in a small town in Newfoundland as the youngest of three brothers. I moved to Toronto in 1996 to study at Wycliffe College and have lived in Ontario ever since. I stayed, so I guess I must like it, although, truth be told, my wife probably has a lot to do with it.
I’ve been away so long I get teased about being a “mainlander” or a CFA (come from away) now. But no matter how far I roam, or for how long, Newfoundland will always be home.
After studying at Wycliffe, I spent 20 years working in book retail and as an office manager for a Lutheran church in Toronto. After 20-plus years in retail with crazy hours and some very memorable customers, I was ready for a break. I honestly thought and said I didn’t think I’d ever go back into retail again … then along came MCC and, well, I guess the Lord had other plans.
It was during those early retail years that I met the love of my life who would become my wife. Cathy and I met at church. The church was very welcoming, and on my very first Sunday there I was invited to join a group of friends, including Cathy,
Noteworthy Event
who were going to see a movie. The movie was Shrek. When we got married, Shrek 2 was playing in theatres. During difficult times through the years and still today, she reminds me that no matter what happens, or how grouchy I get, she wants what every princess wants: To live happily ever after … with the ogre she married.
Our son Blair was born two years after we married. It’s hard to believe he’s 18 already. He is our pride and joy, and while he has had problems to work through and overcome, we couldn’t be prouder of the man he is becoming.
Our small family is rounded out with our dog Charlie, a Jack Russell mix who was a rescue and came to Ontario all the way from Georgia in the States. Being a dog from the South, and me being me, I had to give him a “proper” Southern name. So, Charleston Montgomery Brown came to be Charlie Brown to his friends, Mr. Brown to his enemies, Notorious CMB or Mr. Snuggleupagus to those who are just plain weird.
Brian Ingram
Assistant Manager MCC Care & Share
We will be hosting our Noteworthy Event from Thursday, November 14–Saturday, November 16. We are looking for volunteers to assist us with cash, monitoring the table and assisting customers. If you are available, please let Joel know.
Peace Buttons
We will have Peace buttons available for volunteers who wish to wear them this Remembrance Day. Check with a staff member to obtain one.
Sarah
Ateeb
Health & Safety
As we enter respiratory virus season, we want to remind you all to watch out for respiratory and Covid symptoms. These include, but aren’t limited to:
• Fever or chills
• Cough or shortness of breath
• Runny nose
• Headache
• Sore throat
• Fatigue
• Muscle aches or joint pain
Please continue self-assessing yourselves and remain at home if you are feeling unwell (refer to symptoms above). If you have been at the shop to volunteer within 24 hours of the onset of your symptoms beginning, you should inform Joel.
It is also recommended to wear masks (provided at the shop) when you are interacting with individuals who have been exposed to Covid-positive individuals, at-risk individuals or otherwise ill people. We want to protect our volunteers, customers and staff and those who may be at risk or vulnerable to these respiratory illnesses. For more information, please reach out to Dave or Joel who are MCCO’s Point People for the Respiratory Infection Response Team.
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.
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.
