MCC Brandon relief sale ends
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 22/09/2023 (929 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
The Mennonite Central Committee’s Brandon relief sale has officially ceased operations after more than 35 years of fundraising.
“Over the 35 years of its existence, the Brandon relief sale committee, together with augmented forces of event day volunteers, worked tirelessly and with passion to bring this event to life,” said MCC’s executive director for Manitoba, Darryl Loewen.
The annual event featured a combination of silent and live auctions, sales of fresh produce, home baking and fresh foods, books, antiques, quilts and handcrafted items, as well as live entertainment.
People look through offerings at a previous Mennonite Central Committee relief sale. The sales and auctions, which raise money for the organization's charitable works, will no longer happen in Brandon, the group says. (File)
The money raised at each event went to support the vision and mission of the MCC, a worldwide ministry of Anabaptist churches, which is to share God’s love and compassion for all in the name of Christ by responding to basic human needs and working for peace and justice. The Brandon event is one of 38 similar events held across North America.
In a press release sent out yesterday, the MCC announced that the sale, which last took place in September 2019 and suspended operations the following year due to COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, would not happen this year or at any time in the future.
And while attendance numbers and the number of volunteers that have worked at the sale have been terrific, volunteerism in itself is changing, and events are changing along with it, Loewen said.
“It’s been too much work ahead of time, and then wrapping up with just a little time to rest before the next year’s planning,” Loewen said.
Loewen hopes the people of Brandon look back on all the organization has achieved in the 35 years the event has run as something to celebrate.
None of it would have been possible without the volunteers and other friends of the MCC, Loewen added, thanking the Westman community for its support and dedication.
“It’s grassroots efforts like that bring people together at the local level, and the results make a tangible and lasting difference in the lives of our global neighbours who find themselves in vulnerable situations in need of assistance and hope,” he said.
The local presence of the MCC will continue in Westman through the retail hub of the Brandon MCC Thrift Shop at 414 Pacific Ave.
» mleybourne@brandonsun.com
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