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🛍️ THRIFT WITH PURPOSE THIS CHRISTMAS
Shop Local • Give Global • Uplift Community ________________________________________________________ MCC THRIFT – 254 Grantham Ave, St. Catharines • Supports relief, development, and peacebuilding through Mennonite Central Committee. • Volunteer-powered and sustainability-focused. • Ethical gifts, cozy finds, and secondhand treasures that change lives around the world. 🕒 Open Monday–Saturday 📞 905-682-8944 📧 [email protected] ________________________________________________________ ST. VINCENT DE PAUL THRIFT – 67 Queenston St, St. Catharines • Serving the poorest of the poor in St. Catharines with dignity and compassion. • Supports the Ozanam Centre Soup Kitchen and local outreach. • Affordable essentials, warm clothing, and heartfelt service. 🕒 Open Monday–Saturday 📞 905-684-2042 📧 [email protected] ________________________________________________________ WHY THRIFT THIS SEASON? • 🌍 Reduce waste and overconsumption • 💸 Stretch your budget while giving generously • ❤️ Support faith-rooted missions of peace and care • 🤝 Build community through ethical choices Let your gifts tell a story of hope. ✨ Thrift with purpose. Shop with heart. ✨
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MCC’s involvement in Myanmar (Burma) goes back to the 1960s, when it first partnered with local churches and organizations to support community development and education. However, MCC’s formal country program was established more fully in the early 1990s, focusing on humanitarian aid, peacebuilding, health initiatives, and disaster response in a country deeply affected by armed conflict and political instability. To support the work of MCC in Myanmar through your giving, mark your offering envelope “MCC Myanmar” or e-transfer and write “MCC Myanmar” in the message box. Thank you for your gifts. MCC: Relief, development, and peace – in the Name of Christ. https://mcc.org/what-we-do/where-we-work/myanmar  MCC has a long-standing presence in Ethiopia—78 years of partnership—running about 20 projects with 9 local partners and reaching some 230,000 people directly through its programs. Key Areas of Impact:
To support the work of MCC in Ethiopia through your giving, mark your offering envelope “MCC Ethiopia” or e-transfer and write “MCC Ethiopia” in the message box. Thank you for your gifts. MCC: Relief, development, and peace – in the Name of Christ. https://mcc.org/what-we-do/where-we-work/ethiopia  Over the next few weeks, I am continuing to highlight the work of MCC in areas experiencing war and starvation. This week, the focus is Haiti. The Mennonite Central Committee has been actively working in Haiti since 1958, partnering with local organizations to support some of the country’s most vulnerable communities. Their work spans a wide range of humanitarian and development efforts, especially in response to Haiti’s ongoing challenges with political instability, violence, and natural disasters. MCC’s Key Areas of Work in Haiti
MCC currently operates 12 projects in Haiti with 11 local partners, demonstrating a deep commitment to community-led development. To support the work of MCC in Haiti, through your giving, mark your offering envelope “MCC Haiti” or e-transfer and write “MCC Haiti” in the message box. Thank you for your gifts. MCC: Relief, development, and peace – in the Name of Christ. https://mcc.org/what-we-do/where-we-work/haiti  Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) has worked in Iraq for more than 30 years. Through partnerships with local organizations, MCC provides relief, supports livelihoods, strengthens food security, and promotes peace. Key Areas of Work: • Humanitarian Relief – Food and hygiene supplies for displaced families. • Livelihood Support – Poultry farming, training, and repairs to water systems. • Food Security – Income-generating projects to strengthen rural communities. • Peacebuilding – Promoting interfaith dialogue and supporting civil society organizations. To support the work of MCC in Iraq, through your giving, mark your offering envelope “MCC Iraq” or e-transfer and write “MCC Iraq” in the message box. Thank you for your gifts. MCC: Relief, development, and peace – in the Name of Christ. https://mcc.org/what-we-do/where-we-work/iraq  The June 22 shooting and suicide bombing that occurred inside the Greek Orthodox Saint Elias church in Damascus, Syria, have traumatized people in the Dweil’a suburb, where Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) supports an emergency food project and a children’s program. The attack killed 25 people and wounded more than 60 of the 300 people who were at the church, some of whom were MCC project participants. The community is home to Christians and Muslims, including those who have migrated there because of worsening economic situations caused by the ongoing civil war, which began in 2011. MCC has been responding to the ongoing need of newcomers and host families through its account at Canadian Foodgrains Bank by providing monthly food parcels of food staples. FDCD has been distributing them to about 5,200 households since April 2024. The food parcels help recipients cope with the harsh economic and life circumstances, including this attack, Jarjour says. The food is distributed to Muslims and Christians, without preference, which he believes is “enabling coexistence and good relations” among them. To support the work of MCC in Syria go to https://mcc.org/our-stories/mcc-partner-ministers-those-affected-church-bombing-syria Mennonite Central Committee: Relief, Development, and Peace in the Name of Christ  MCC’s Work in War-Torn Areas – The Democratic Republic of the Congo.Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) Canada has been awarded a grant of $4.7 million (U.S. $3.25 million) to support its ongoing emergency humanitarian response in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. These funds come at a time of great need for those already vulnerable in the country. The conflict between the March 23 Movement (M23) and the Congolese army has escalated significantly in the last year, worsening the humanitarian crisis affecting approximately 11 million people in the North and South Kivu provinces. The grant comes from Global Affairs Canada and will specifically fund MCC’s efforts to provide locally purchased household and hygiene items as well as cash support to an estimated 9,000 people affected by conflict in areas surrounding Goma, DR Congo. The project also includes additional activities and training to mitigate increased risk and respond to sexual and gender-based violence against vulnerable women and girls. The project began in January 2025 and will run until December 2026. “We’re very excited to have been awarded this grant,” says Annie Loewen, MCC interim disaster response director. “MCC has been working in DR Congo for 64 years, building relationships with local organizations, churches and governments. This grant will allow us to effectively continue the important work we’re doing and meet the needs of thousands of people who need support right now.” To support or learn more about MCC’s work in DR Congo, visit https://mcc.org/what-we-do/where-we-work/dr-congo Mennonite Central Committee: Relief, Development, and Peace in the Name of Christ  Over the next few weeks I plan to highlight projects that MCC is engaged with in countries that are experiencing war. These countries include Afghanistan, DR Congo, Ethiopia, Gaza/Palestine, Haiti, Iraq, Myanmar, Syria, and Ukraine. – Jan Steven, MCC Rep for GMC MCC joins over 100 other organizations sounding the alarm to let life-saving aid into Gaza! Exactly two months since the Israeli government-controlled scheme, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, began operating, more than 100 organisations are sounding the alarm, urging governments to act: open all land crossings; restore the full flow of food, clean water, medical supplies, shelter items, and fuel through a principled, UN-led mechanism; end the siege, and agree to a ceasefire now. https://mcc.org/our-stories/mass-starvation-spreads-across-gaza-our-colleagues-and-those-we-serve-are-wasting-away MCC in Gaza - Clothing Distribution - "We had Nothing... Thank You." Al-Najd Developmental Forum, a Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) partner is meeting displaced families needs in Gaza. They were recently able to distribute locally purchased children's clothing. MCC invites you to donate to its ongoing humanitarian response in Gaza and to urge legislators in Canada and the U.S. to support a permanent ceasefire in Gaza. To contact legislators in Canada, visit mcc.org/campaign/canadas-toolkit-peace-gaza  Mohamed* and his wife have been living in a tent for over a year, ever since the Israeli military destroyed their house in Gaza. Cooking over a fire has been their only option while they have been displaced. Because of a distribution from Mennonite Central Committee’s (MCC) local partner in Gaza, they now have a portable gas stove they can use instead. The gas stove is safer to use than an open fire, Mohamed says, because the fire attracts unwanted attention from the military. “A lot of people were targeted because they lit a fire at night,” he says. They are among 700 recipients of portable gas stoves that Al-Najd Developmental Forum (Al-Najd) distributed in April. Al-Najd purchased the stoves in Gaza with funds from MCC. Because of Israel’s tight restrictions on bringing humanitarian relief into Gaza, Al-Najd must purchase from supplies that are available locally, even though prices are inflated and inventory is limited. When Israel loosens its restrictions, MCC is prepared to bring 4,000 family-size packages of food stored in Jordan into Gaza for Al-Najd to distribute. “The organization, God bless them,” Mohamed says. “They made things easier for us by supplying the gas cylinder (stove). Hopefully things will move forward and get better. May God bless you all for the efforts you made.” You can show your support through your offering. If by cash or cheque, designate the offering envelope with the MCC project in mind. If by e-transfer, put write the MCC project in the message box. Thank you. MCC invites you to urge legislators in Canada to support a permanent ceasefire in Gaza. Jan Steven will happily provide you with a set of printed letters you can sign and send – postage free! Or you can write by email. Visit mcc.org/campaign/canadas-toolkit-peace-gaza.  A Moment for MCC: "Being with my family, my wife and my child—it is good,” say Ishwor Man Magar in Morang, Nepal Thanks to MCC Parter - HRDON’s Youth Empowerment and Eco-Entrepreneurship Project (YEEP) - Ishwor is able to stay close to home instead of migrating for work—so he can be there when his family needs him most. With support from YEEP, Ishwor became a self-employed vegetable and dairy farmer, gaining both income and independence while helping his community thrive. The YEEP project provides low-income youth in Nepal’s Morang District with training and seed money to establish agriculture enterprises close to home, keeping families together. Let us continue to support work that keeps families together and builds stronger communities. Learn more or donate at mcc.org MCC: Relief, Development, and Peace in the Name of Christ Photo: Ishwor with his 15-month-old son, Funcha Magar  |
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November 2025
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