SEPTEMBER 2026
THRIFT VOLUNTEER NEWSLETTER
Keeping our valued volunteers informed
GM’s Corner September has a familiar feeling to it. Even for those of us who are long past heading back to school, this time of year seems to bring a return to routine. Summer at MCC Thrift has its own rhythm. We welcome many high school students who spend part of their summer volunteering with us. Staff and volunteers take well-deserved holidays. Schedules change, people come and go, and we adjust as needed to keep the shop moving. Some days feel a little different from our usual routine, and somehow summer always seems to pass more quickly than we expect. Then September arrives. Students return to school, vacations wind down, familiar schedules begin to return, and we start settling into the rhythm of fall. There is something valuable about routine. In a busy place like MCC Thrift, routine gives us stability. We know where we’re going, what needs to be done, and what others are counting on us to do. Many of the things that keep our shop running well aren’t extraordinary at all. They are the ordinary things done consistently, day after day. But returning to routine doesn’t mean everything needs to stay exactly the same. A new season can also give us an opportunity to look at familiar things with fresh eyes. What did we learn over the summer? Is there something we could do differently? Is there a routine that could work better? Is there something new we want to learn or try? September can be both a return and a beginning. As we settle into another fall at MCC Thrift, I hope we can appreciate the stability of the familiar while remaining open to learning, growing, and trying something new. There will always be work to do, donations to process, racks to fill, customers to serve, and unexpected things that change our plans. Through it all, we find our rhythm again.
As we find our rhythm again this fall, I’m grateful to enter another season at MCC Thrift alongside each of you.
John Himes
General Manager MCC Thrift, St. Catharines
SEPTEMBER 2026
THRIFT VOLUNTEER NEWSLETTER
September BIRTHDAYS
Michael J. Gaby M. Elfriede E. Helmut W. Bettie D. James R. Kim R.
2 2 2 13 14 15 21
Bonnie B. Kya S. Anna G. Dani G. Howard J.
22 22 25 25 30
Welcome! Welcome to our new volunteers! Thank you for joining the MCC Thrift volunteer team!
Adit K. – Receiving
Alexa G. – Retail
Isabella A. – Retail
Sheree S. – Processing
Sedeen Q. – Retail
Moussa A. – Retail
SEPTEMBER 2026
THRIFT VOLUNTEER NEWSLETTER
Thank you Shania! This summer, Shania joined our staff team through the Canada Summer Jobs program and quickly became part of the MCC Thrift community. She jumped right in, wasn’t afraid to take ownership and show leadership, and was always willing to learn and lean on those around her for guidance and support. While her Canada Summer Jobs position has come to an end, we’re very happy that this may not be goodbye! We hope to continue seeing Shania around the shop as a volunteer as she begins her second year of Psychology studies at Brock University. Shania, thank you for everything you brought to our team this summer. We wish you all the best with your studies and look forward to hopefully continuing to have you as part of our volunteer community!
Ice-cream Week - Celebrating our Volunteers Summer has a funny way of disappearing quickly. One minute it feels like it has just begun, and before we know it, September is here. Ice cream is a little like that too. It’s sweet, it’s meant to be enjoyed, and if you wait too long, it melts away! During Ice Cream Week, we took some time to enjoy a simple summer treat together and celebrate our volunteers. It was a reminder to enjoy these moments while we have them: the conversations, the laughter, the warm days, and the people we get to share them with.
Janis J, Gwen K and Jackie M
Margie E
Althea E and Lynne M.
Eileen B and Trudy E
THRIFT VOLUNTEER NEWSLETTER
SEPTEMBER 2026
Summer 2026 Student Volunteers Over her 3½ years of high school, Mackenna volunteered just over 537 hours with MCC Thrift. We are proud of her dedication and commitment to serving others. We also congratulate Mackenna on receiving a Three-Year Scholarship in recognition of her volunteer contributions. We wish her all the best in her future studies and endeavors! Congratulations, Mackenna! We would like to say our heartfelt thanks to all our high school student volunteers for their outstanding dedication and support at our Thrift shop this summer. Your enthusiasm, hard work, and willingness to give your time made a difference every day, whether you were sorting donations, assisting customers, organizing merchandise, or helping behind the scenes. Your positive attitudes and commitment to serving the community contributed greatly to our success and helped create a welcoming environment for everyone who visited. We are grateful for your efforts and proud to have had you as part of our team. Thank you for making this summer such a success, and we wish you all the best in the upcoming school year. We are also very thankful for the students who are able to continue volunteering with us throughout the school year. We were able to capture a few pictures of our university and high school students volunteering around the shop this summer. We are thankful for each one of our students: Isabella A, Wassi B, Mackenna B, Nicholas C, Lilybeth D, Hung D, Elijah D, Elli G, Alexa G, Sami H, Irene K, Adit K, Sage M, Emma G, Sara M, Owen P, Devon R, Halima R, Junior S, Mercy S, Kya S, Ryan S, Jack T, Zahra V, Bella W, Declan Y, and Ellie Y
THRIFT VOLUNTEER NEWSLETTER
SEPTEMBER 2026
Reminder: MCC Canned Chicken Pick-Up Don’t Forget Your MCC Canned Chicken! If you placed an order for MCC canned chicken, the St. Catharines pick-up is Friday, September 18 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at MCC Thrift. MCC canned chicken supports MCC’s relief, development and peace work while providing high-quality, shelf-stable chicken to enjoy at home. Thank you to everyone who placed an order and for supporting the work of MCC Ontario!
Thanksgiving Week – Join Us for Pie Week! Thanksgiving is a time to reflect on what we’re grateful for, and we are incredibly grateful for our volunteers. To celebrate, we’ll be hosting Pie Week throughout Thanksgiving week (October 5-11). Please stop by and enjoy a slice of pie and some seasonal treats. Thank you for making such a difference in our community. We appreciate all that you do and wish you a wonderful Thanksgiving. Happy Thanksgiving!
Creating a Respectful Volunteer Environment Our Volunteer Code of Conduct helps create a welcoming and respectful environment for everyone. Volunteers are expected to volunteer in a manner that reflects our mission: “MCC shares God’s love and compassion for all in the name of Christ by responding to basic human needs and working for peace and justice. MCC envisions communities worldwide in right relationship with God, one another, and creation.” One important expectation is: Deal with conflicts or difficulties in an appropriate manner. Challenges and disagreements happen. What matters is how we respond. We encourage volunteers to bring concerns forward respectfully, listen to different perspectives, and work with staff toward a constructive solution. A helpful reminder: If something is bothering you during your volunteer experience, please speak with your supervisor, manager or use the Speak Up service. We want to hear your concerns. Want to learn more? The full Volunteer Code of Conduct is included in the Volunteer Orientation Manual and the Speak Up service information is posted on a designated board. Ask a staff member where you can find a copy of the Volunteer Orientation Manual or the Speak Up poster and take a few minutes to review it. Thank you for helping us live out our mission through the way we treat one another.
Undercurrents Podcast Before the next season of Undercurrents kicks off in September, take a moment to catch up on last season in a recap episode (#41): mcc.org/undercurrents. Each episode includes discussion questions so you can gather a group and listen together!
THRIFT VOLUNTEER NEWSLETTER
SEPTEMBER 2026
Peaceful Practices for Everyday Life Peaceful practices grow out of MCC’s Christian faith and Anabaptist peace tradition, but they offer wisdom for people of all faith backgrounds or no religious background at all. Peace is not only something we hope for in the world; it is something we practice in everyday interactions. These practices invite us to listen with care, stay curious, speak honestly and treat each person with dignity. This quarter’s invitation: In a moment of tension or disagreement, pause before responding. Choose curiosity, ask a thoughtful question or listen to understand. Small choices like these help us grow together as a community of peace.
Peace Conference: Nourishing Peace Together Saturday, November 7, Rockway Mennonite Collegiate, Kitchener If you’re hungry for connection, meaning and practical ways to resist despair in a world that feels overwhelming, plan to be at this year’s Peace Conference. MCC Ontario is hosting an in person event for people who don’t have everything figured out but who want to build peace. Attendees will: • Learn how to practice peace in everyday life • Hear from courageous people pursuing justice, reconciliation and care in hard places • Share food, stories and space • Take action, like knotting comforters and sending advocacy letters, to remind us we’re not powerless Register at mcc.org/Ontario-Peace-Conference
You’re invited: Truth & Reconciliation (TR) Learning Days 2026 Volunteers are warmly invited to take part in one of MCC Ontario’s TR Learning Days 2026, Walking the Path of Peace: Learning from Indigenous approaches to relationship, community, and reconciliation. This virtual half-day learning opportunity will be offered on Tuesday, September 22 from 9 am - 12 pm or Wednesday, September 23, 9 am - 12 pm and volunteers are welcome to choose one of the dates that works best for them. Together, we’ll listen, reflect, and consider what MCC Ontario can learn from Indigenous understandings of peacebuilding, right relationship, community, and care for creation. The morning will include time in virtual small groups for conversation and connection, as well as self-guided learning using the resources provided. Those who register will receive the agenda and more details about how to participate. For more information contact volunteerservices@mcco.ca to register visit bit.ly/trdmcco2026volunteers.
THRIFT VOLUNTEER NEWSLETTER
SEPTEMBER 2026
Bucket of Thanks On Saturday, August 29, The MCC Hub in New Hamburg became a place of connection, generosity, and hands-on service. Throughout the morning and early afternoon, people of all ages gathered to pack MCC relief kits into buckets, filling them with practical items that will one day bring comfort, dignity, and hope to families facing hardship around the world. As I watched towels, bath soap, laundry soap, shampoo, nail clippers, combs, toothbrushes, and feminine pads being packed into buckets, I couldn’t help but think about where these supplies came from. They were purchased through the Round-Up for Relief campaign that many of you helped promote in our thrift shops earlier this year. Every time you invited a customer to round up their purchase, you were helping make this day possible. What may have felt like a small conversation at the cash register became something much bigger. Because of the generosity of customers and the encouragement of our volunteers, more than 250 relief kits were packed and prepared for a future MCC shipment from New Hamburg. The photos from the event tell a wonderful story. They show people packing buckets, working side by side, and sharing in a common purpose. They also tell another story, one that began months earlier in our shops. The impact captured in these pictures is a direct result of volunteers who took the time to ask, customers who chose to give, and a community that came together to turn generosity into action. Thank you for being part of that story. Thank you for the many ways you support the mission of MCC through your service in our thrift shops. Because of your efforts, these buckets are now ready to make their journey into the hands of people who need them most. Your work matters. And this Bucket of Thanks is for you.
Lynda Lynch Thrift Director