Mennonite Central Committee encouraging locals to donate in person as recent postal strike poses complications

A donor drops of a financial contribution at the Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) Ontario office in Kitchener. Photo courtesy of the Mennonite Central Committee

Galen Simmons, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

As the Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) struggles to bring in much-needed holiday season donations as a result of the recent Canada Post workers strike, the organization is encouraging locals to drop in at the MCC New Hamburg Thrift Centre to donate in whatever way they can.

In a press release, the MCC says the postal strike in Canada created challenges for charities nationwide, delaying mail-in contributions at a time when they are needed most. According to MCC associate executive director Kim Lester, the MCC receives nearly a quarter of its annual donations in December each year and more than 60 per cent of those donations come through the mail.

“With the demographic of our donors, a lot of them rely on the postal service,” Lester said. “ … This is the biggest time of giving and the majority of people give through the mail, and we send out a year-end appeal to everybody to highlight what the need is. That appeal didn’t even make it to people.

“We have people who ware faithful donors every year, but we do know when it comes to giving, we get prompted along the way and things move our heart for what we want to give towards. We were not able to get that letter out – it never got to people to start with – and then of those people who give, the 60 per cent who give through the mail are not able to do that. … It’s very, very challenging.”

Last year, the MCC raised roughly $1.5 million through its annual year-end appeal. As of last week, the MCC’s 2024 year-end appeal had raised only 17 per cent of what it raised at the same point last year.

That shortfall, Lester explained, has real implications for the people and communities the MCC supports both locally and across the globe.

In Tigray, Ethiopia, 13-year-old Kalkidan Fistum knows firsthand how crucial support from donors can be. After years of conflict in the region, Fistum and thousands of other children were unable to attend school for three or four years. Now, with peace returning, the cost of school supplies has skyrocketed – from just $8 per family to around $40 – putting them out of reach for many.

Thanks to donations, MCC was able to distribute school kits at Rama Secondary School, where Fistum received much-needed supplies.

“Our work has international reach and we depend on these donations in order to continue to do the work at the scope we’re doing,” Lester said. “We also have a local presence … so it touches several places local and internationally. We walk alongside people who are at risk of homelessness and we know those people are in very, very precarious situations.”

Lester said the MCC is grateful for the support of locals and she shared a number of alternative ways to support the MCC this holiday season. Donations can be made online at mcc.org/donate, by calling 519-745-8458, or by visiting donation drop-off points like regional offices and thrift stores including the MCC New Hamburg Thrift Centre.

“We’re inviting people to bring their cheques into our thrift shops,” Lester said. “ … Some people may not have the means to make a financial donation, but by donating goods and shopping at the thrift shop, all the net proceeds goes to our work as well. That is definitely another way people can be a part of making an impact.”

To see a full list of MCC donation drop-off points, visit mcc.org/PostalStrike.