At MCC Thrift in St. Catharines, we’ve had two major “makeovers” in the past month. Christmas displays have taken over our retail area inside.
On the exterior, a new parking lot and front sidewalk have completed the transformation of our building.
On Truth and Reconciliation Day 2025 (September 30), MCC Ontario staff, including the team at MCC Thrift St. Catharines, gathered to hear from Sarah Augustine, a Pueblo (Tewa) descendant, author, and co-founder of the Coalition to Dismantle the Doctrine of Discovery. Sarah grounded her message in Jesus’ own proclamation of liberation from Luke 4:18-20 (The Bible):
BIRTHDAYS
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me. He has sent me to preach good news to the poor, to proclaim release to the prisoners and recovery of sight to the blind, to liberate the oppressed, and to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.”
Sarah encouraged us with these words: “As we ‘proclaim the year of our Lord’s favour,’ we reset our world from these systems of injustice and exploitation.” What a makeover that would be!
In our upcoming busy season, we have a great opportunity! Every day we’ll be interacting with donors, customers, volunteers, staff, and neighbours of every ethnicity. Through simple acts of kindness to each one, may we proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour. Thank you for the part you play in this ongoing makeover in our community!
Tim Albrecht General Manager
MCC Thrift, St. Catharines
A Season for Giving and Gratitude
Dear MCC Thrift Volunteer,
The 2025 Christmas Giving Guide is here—and it’s full of joy, hope, and meaningful ways to make a difference!
As someone who generously gives your time at MCC Thrift, you already know the power of community and compassion. This Christmas, we invite you to take that spirit even further by exploring MCC’s Giving Guide and sharing it with your loved ones.
Whether it’s a fruit tree for $20 to help a farmer earn income, a beekeeping kit for $43 to support thriving ecosystems, or a sewing machine for $150 to empower someone’s livelihood—each gift is a chance to bring comfort and joy to families around the world. You can:
• Give a gift in honour of someone special and send a personalized e-card.
• Print a card at home or request one to be mailed to you.
• Share the guide with friends, family, and customers at your thrift shop.
Even though the printed guide may be delayed due to the Canada Post strike, you can browse and shop online anytime (mcc.org/christmas). You can also pick up a copy of the guide at your Thrift shop.
We hope you will choose a gift that celebrates your values and spreads hope.
Thank you for contributing to MCC’s mission. Your passion and compassion help make this season brighter for everyone.
With gratitude and joy,
Kim Lester Associate Executive Director
Around the Shop
1 Thessalonians 5:18 in the Bible reminds us to “give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” What a wonderful reminder for all of us! Our Tree of Thankfulness has been a visual reminder of the many things MCC Thrift volunteers and staff are thankful for. A few of my favourite leaves that volunteers wrote on include the following: for being able to volunteer, thankful for the MCC Thrift store, our volunteers, life, family, friends, health, living in a peaceful country, God’s creation in autumn, and so many more wonderful things. Seeing our Tree of Thankfulness fill up to overflowing has been encouraging for volunteers and staff even as each of us face challenges and we see problems in the world around us. We still have so many reasons to be grateful.
While we were closed for paving, staff and volunteers took the opportunity to prepare the retail floor for Christmas. We anticipate a busy couple of months ahead of us.
Mellow Walker gives a thumbs up to the work he and his team have done, upgrading our front sidewalk and parking lot. We’re grateful for the property maintenance Mellow’s company does in summer and winter months.
Survey Said… (from April’s Volunteer Survey)
Earlier this year volunteers responded to the MCCO Thrift survey. Over the next couple of months we will continue to share a few highlights with you.
The survey says that volunteers have learned more about MCC’s work and mission primarily through MCCO emails and MCCO speakers at coffee time or volunteer events. MCC displays throughout the shop have also helped volunteers to continue to learn more about MCC’s work and mission.
Sherry
Main
Volunteer Engagement Manager MCC Thrift, St. Catharines
Welcome to the following new volunteers who joined us recently!
Brielle L.R. (Retail)
Christian N.L. (Receiving)
Dave G. (Processing)
Jemima C. (Retail)
Meet Sherry Main
How long have you worked for MCC?
I worked for MCC
Ontario from 2012-2014 as the Executive Assistant to the Executive Director. However, I have only been in my present role as the Volunteer Engagement Manager at MCC Thrift - St. Catharines for 7 months. What aspect of MCC’s work are you most passionate about?
I’m most passionate about being able to align my faith and values with my work at MCC. I feel privileged to be a part of MCC and its mission to share God’s love and compassion for all in the name of Christ. What are you enjoying about your role as our Volunteer Engagement Manager?
In my role as the Volunteer Engagement Manager, I enjoy interacting and working with each of our volunteers whether they have been volunteering with MCC Thrift for over 50 years or only a few weeks. The love, commitment and dedication of our volunteers to MCC and its mission is inspiring. It is also a joy each day to be able to work alongside an amazing staff team who work hard and are dedicated to the vision and mission of MCC.
Tell us a little about your family
My husband (Trevor) and I have been married for 35 years. Trevor is a Be In Christ (BIC) pastor, and we have
served the BIC church in Ontario, Venezuela and Colombia. Our two adult children are both married and we have two grandchildren. Family is a blessing, and I am grateful for each of them.
Tell us about one of your hobbies
A more recent hobby that a friend helped me to get started in has been growing flowers to have cut flowers for bouquets in the summer. I start the plants from seeds later in the winter and enjoy watching them poke out of the ground inside my sunroom when the ground is still frozen outside. A new routine Trevor and I started in January 2025 has been early morning walks (5:00 am) to enjoy the outdoors, get a little exercise plus have a little time to connect before the busy-ness of our day begins.
Tell us about one of your most hilarious or embarrassing occasions:
One of my most embarrassing moments happened when I was learning Spanish as an adult and I unintentionally told my tutor that my friend’s husband was better than mine. I was trying to use the vocabulary I knew, or at least thought I knew. I meant to say that he was older than my husband not better. Thankfully, my tutor understood what I was actually trying to say and kindly pointed out my mistake. Learning another language as an adult takes a lot of courage and I also learned that it can be a very humbling experience too.
Annual Volunteer Survey Coming Soon!
We value your feedback! Keep an eye on your inbox for our annual volunteer survey, arriving in late November or early December. Your insights help us improve and celebrate the amazing work you do—thank you for being part of our community!
Give Gifts of Comfort and Joy Chris as Giving Guide
It’s the most wonderful time of the year: MCC’s annual Christmas giving guide is back! Every year, MCC publishes its Christmas guide as a way for you to give gifts with impact worldwide. In addition to a nice sweater or new toy for your loved one, add the gift of education for a girl in Ethiopia, or a duck for a family in Bangladesh.
Here are some unique gifts to add to your Christmas list:
Clean water at school
Share a gift of clean water!
This handwashing station at a primary school in Ethiopia helps Selam Bulo, a third-grade student, and her peers in Batu, Ethiopia stay clean, healthy and fully immersed in their studies. $25
Room at the inn
$75
For people on the move, an open door, a warm bed and a listening ear offer great comfort and hope. This gift helps people like pastors Victor Lampón Leon and Rocio Valencia Islas in Mexico have the supplies they need, including mattresses, pads and sheets so that they can extend hospitality to those moving through their communities.
Sewing machine
$150
Go the extra yard with a gift tailor-made for those who love to sew. With a machine of hers own, Mariyum Khatun of Bangladesh can start a new business to support her family.
This Christmas, by helping our global neighbours build skills, grow food or meet basic needs, your generosity brings cause for celebration long after your tree comes down and the lights are put away.
Find the 2025 Christmas catalogues at receiving, cash and volunteer lunch rooms. You can also distribute these to your churches – we have 25,000 copies to give out! Talk to your Volunteer Engagement Manager if you need copies.
You can also shop online by going to mcc.org/Christmas and sending an e-card after making your donation. Or call 888-622-6337 toll-free to talk to an MCC representative. You can select your gifts and request e-cards or paper-cards that you can send to your loved ones.
