Providing comfort from the cold

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This article was published 23/01/2020 (2171 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Despite heavy falling and blowing snow, hundreds came out on Jan. 18 to lend a hand at the Mennonite Central Committee’s Winter Warm-up.

“The weather did have an effect,” said Allison Zacharias, communications co-ordinator for MCC. “Turn out wasn’t quite what we expected, but we were able to tie 210 comforters at North Kildonan (Mennonite Brethren) Church.”

To kick off centenary celebrations, the Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) is attempted to collect a record-breaking 6,500 comforters in one day. Volunteers, supporters, and staff across Canada and the United States got together on Jan. 18 to sew and collect comforters during the MCC’s Great Winter Warm-up event. Winnipeg’s event was held at the North Kildonan Mennonite Brethren Church (1315 Gateway Rd.).

“Unofficial counts have us at 5,000, but we’re still counting,” Zacharias said. 

The comforters collected as part of the Great Winter Warm-up will be distributed along with MCC relief shipments around the world. 

“As a global, non-profit organization, MCC provides relief to communities displaced by disasters or conflict,” Zacharias said. “When families are lacking basic necessities, comforters can be a versatile tool. Used as bed covers, room dividers, carpets, curtains, wraps, mattresses, and more, comforters are a gratefully accepted, but in-demand gift!”

Last year, more than 53,000 comforters were shipped to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Haiti, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Malawi, North Korea, Serbia, Syria and Ukraine as well as throughout Canada and the U.S.

“Comforters are an excellent metaphor for the nature of our work around the world at MCC,” Rick Cober Bauman, executive director of MCC Canada, said in a statement. “One square of fabric alone cannot keep the cold away, but many pieces connected together produce warmth against the cold. When our volunteers and supporters come together to create comforters for The Great Winter Warm-up, they will make a difference in the lives of people affected by conflict and disaster.”

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The event at the North Kildonan MB Church was one of a number held in Manitoba on Jan. 18. At press time 1,936 comforters had been collected in the province as part of the initiative.

“We also opened it up to people who wanted to sew comforters at home and donate them,” Zacharias added.

Events such as the Winter Warm-up are an important part of the work MCC does in connecting communities.

“Seeing communities and supporters come out and get involved is exciting,” Zacharias said. “It’s great to see people interact and contribute to our work in such a tangible way. We’re so grateful to those who picked up a needle and thread despite the weather to contribute. It shows that people in Manitoba care about their global neighbours.”

The Winter Warm-up is the first of a number of events and initiatives that the MCC will roll out throughout 2020 to celebrate its 100 years of community service. For more information on MCC programs and centenary celebrations, visit www.mcccanada.ca/centennial

Sheldon Birnie
Community Journalist

Sheldon Birnie is a reporter/photographer for the Free Press Community Review. The author of Missing Like Teeth: An Oral History of Winnipeg Underground Rock (1990-2001), his writing has appeared in journals and online platforms across Canada, the U.S. and the U.K. A husband and father of two young children, Sheldon enjoys playing guitar and rec hockey when he can find the time. Email him at sheldon.birnie@freepress.mb.ca Call him at 204-697-7112

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