Community gathers for annual Michiana Mennonite Relief Sale
ELKHART COUNTY, Ind. -- Saturday is the second day of the Michiana Mennonite Relief Sale at the Elkhart County Fairgrounds, and all of the funds go to Mennonite Central Committee.
MCC is a ministry that provides basic human needs and serves for peace world-wide.
Event organizers say the sale is a big celebration and brings different people together.
Sale goers experience activities, auctions and vendors throughout the weekend.
The fundraising event supports the relief development and peace making work of Mennonite Central Committee.
The ministry’s relief work reaches 56 countries.
The organization responds to natural disasters all around the world with resources people need to survive, like food and clean water, and assists refugees displaced from their homes because of war.
MCC’s development works to provide access to food and water resources and education projects.
“I can’t go to all of these places, and most of the people here can’t either. So this is one way for us to feel like we’re a part of something much larger,” said Volunteer Helen Glick.
The first sale was in 1968, and last year was the sale’s 50th anniversary.
Last year’s sale raised over 600 thousand dollars for MCC.
MCC’s sister organization, the Mennonite Disaster Service, deals with emergency situations in the United States. Even though this event’s funds won’t go to disaster relief for the recent hurricane Florence devastation, the two organizations are working hand in hand.
“This is an expression of people’s faith basically. They believe that God calls us to be caring about other people around the world so Mennonite central committee is one of the vehicles they use and this is just a fun celebration to enable that work to happen all being done in the name of Christ,” explained MCC spokesman Les Gustafson-Zook.