2018 Preliminary Totals
A little can do a lot!
My Coins Count is a fun and easy way to raise money for Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) and Virginia Mennonite Missions (VMM) by collecting coins in a container in your church, school, home or business. Bring the coins to the Virginia Mennonite Relief Sale by 9 am on October 6. The coins are then sorted by volunteers and staff from Park View Federal Credit Union, who calculate the total value from each congregation. Currency and checks are also welcome.
A few coins plus a few more coins plus a few more coins adds up to a lot of coins! And when a lot of coins are put together they can make big changes.
- $10 provides food for a family of 7 for one week in Kenya
- $26 gives a student the required school uniform and helps buy math, science, history and language workbooks
- $48 provides irrigation for garden plots growing fruits and vegetables for one family in Bolivia
- $51 helps cover 3 months of anti-retroviral treatment for a person in Nigeria suffering from AIDS
2018 funds will be used for:
Supporting the families of Latino church planters
Virginia Mennonite Missions has appointed Latino church mission workers to help plant and grow new Spanish-speaking church communities in Waynesboro and Augusta and Rockingham Counties, VA, and Winston Salem, NC. the ministry is not simply engaged by the appointed workers, but it involved their whole family and is in many ways a lifestyle. Funds will be used to enable these families to share the good news of Jesus with those in their communities.
Girls’ access to education in Bangladesh
Girls face quite a few barriers to education in Bangladesh, including sexual harassment on their way to and from school. Mennonite Central Committee partners with a boarding school to help provide a safe environment for education. Funds help cover tuition, room and board, school kits, and other essentials like blankets, mosquito nets, and bed sheets. Girls also receive training on developing healthy self-esteem and anger management, hygiene, and other life skills.
Local Impact
This year a portion of the special project funds will be donated to two local organizations. Make a donation during announced times during the auction, or at the auction payment area.
Roberta Webb Child Care Center: The center provides childcare for infants through age 5 where parents pay based on their income, while allowing them to be employed and productive in the workplace.
Staunton Augusta Church Relief Association (SACRA): SACRA provides emergency financial assistance to residents of Staunton and Augusta County in need of help with utilities, evictions, medications, and food. Supply donations will also be collected at the sale in the dinner/breakfast barn. Supplies requested include: canned goods, cereal, crackers, peanut butter, fruit juice boxes, packaged fruit, toothbrushes, toothpaste, soap, shampoo, deodorant, detergent, and household cleaners.
Sharing our Surplus (SOS) Campaign
This is an initiative to dramatically increase the money raised for MCC refugee relief by encouraging everyone to spend generously for food, auction and other items at the Relief Sale, then to match or multiply that amount with a cash, check or credit card donation at the SOS table in the Auction building. In this way we can add significantly to the $41,000 SOS giving in 2017.
In the light of the desperate needs of the 1 in 110 of the world’s men, women and children who have been forced from their homes by famine, war and other forms of violence, we encourage relief sale attendees to give in the spirit of Jubilee, over and above their regular tithes and offerings. Here’s a link to a blog post by SOS chair Harvey Yoder on this challenge. You can also donate online.