Editor’s note: The last names of Ukrainian comforter recipients have been withheld for security purposes.
The cold of winter has wrapped its icy fingers around much of the world. As you read this, perhaps you are snuggled up under a blanket beside a crackling fire, giving thanks for all the ways to keep the chill away.
But many of our global neighbors are not as fortunate. Thousands of individuals and families in countries like Syria and Ukraine have been forced to leave their homes due to disaster or conflict. They can take few things with them, often leaving behind essentials like the soft blankets they’ve turned to each winter.
Julia, originally from Polohy, Ukraine, remembers when she and her husband and five children had to relocate.
“We left our home in an old passenger car; we couldn’t take a lot of things, only as much as fit into one car with us; that’s all we had left; we had to buy everything from scratch. We received help from the MCC, one blanket and a bucket of hygiene items.”
Every February, MCC invites compassionate stitchers, and anyone looking to share the warmth of God’s love, to accompany families like Julia’s through The Great Winter Warm-Up. This winter, will you send warm wishes to families with a needle and thread?
Between April 2023 and March 2024, 40,760 comforters sewn across Canada and the U.S. were given to displaced people in Ukraine, like Julia — and like Serhiy and his 12-year-old son. They have spent the last few years moving around Nikopol, Ukraine. Fighting continues in the region and rolling blackouts make it hard for families to heat their home. But Serhiy and his son are both blind and unable to move farther away.
Their comforters can help them to stay warm for winters to come. “We thank God. He probably knows our thoughts and sent us good people with blankets from you. They are very pleasant to the touch … they are also warm and, most importantly, they arrived [in time for winter],” he says.
In the southern hemisphere, winter may be months away, but when cold weather arrives, many families in the communities where MCC serves will be able to rest easy thanks to their warm comforters.
Eduard Abayisenga, who is originally from Rwanda and now lives in Zambia’s Meheba Refugee Settlement Camp, recalls that before he received his comforter, he was using an old blanket that kept him from sleeping well. In the video below, he and staff from MCC and partner organization Brave Heart Foundation discuss the love that’s put into every knot and stitch of the colorful comforter that now keeps him warm at night.
@mccpeace MCC comforters are given to people in vulnerable situations around the world. Here, Abayisenga Eduard receives an MCC comforter in Zambia. Melence Serugendo explains that each knot in the comforter is a prayer said by those who made the comforter for the recipient. #sewingtiktok #comforters #sewingtiktok #sewing #relief #nonprofitsoftiktok #humanitarianaid #nonprofit #Zambia ♬ original sound - Mennonite Central Committee
A total of 53,601 MCC comforters were shared with people in seven countries between 2023 and 2024. Now, a new winter is upon many families, bringing new challenges. But each new season also brings new opportunities — including new chances to help others.
Sew comforters
If you are handy with a needle and thread, you can use your gifts to sew a comforter, on your own in the comfort of your home, or with your loved ones in a place of your choosing. Then, bring it to an MCC kit drop-off location near you during the month of February.
Make a donation
If sewing a comforter is not in your wheelhouse, you can still get involved! Consider donating toward the cost of sending a comforter to someone in need.
No matter how you contribute, your donation will help families feel the warmth of God’s love.