Your impact in Ontario - Summer 2024

Sounds of progress—hammers ringing, paint rolling—and excitement fill the air as our new meat cannery takes form.

MCC Ontario’s Material Resources program provides essential supplies like hygiene products, cozy comforters and canned meat to those facing crises worldwide. With global disasters on the rise and food costs escalating, the need for canned meat has never been greater. With this new cannery, we are excited to double production to 90,000 lbs of meat canned per year—more than 50,000 cans of meat—to help fill the empty stomachs of even more people in need. With nearly completed exterior walls and equipment orders in progress, our dedicated volunteers and staff eagerly anticipate the hustle and bustle ahead: cooking, sealing, labelling and preparing shipments.

Before a shipment leaves the warehouse, staff and volunteers pray over its journey and for those who will receive it. Recently, MCC Ontario volunteer Nic Oshukany led the Lord’s Prayer in Ukrainian—an extremely powerful moment as they watched the container begin its journey to displaced people in Ukraine.

Thank you for your continued support in fostering belonging and community.

Deb Wismer connected with Circle of Friends four years ago. “I was feeling kind of lonely,” confesses Deb. “I wanted to get out and do something with other people and I heard of Circle of Friends and went to it and really enjoyed it.” Circle of Friends is all about social inclusion for those pushed to the margins. Typically, it involves a small group of volunteers and a staff person supporting the program participant who has transitioned from housing insecurity into stable housing.

Claire Smith-McGill, Restorative Communities and Supportive Housing Team Lead, remembers meeting Deb early in her job at MCC. “I met Deb at a Circle of Friends event when I first started and we bonded over a shared love of our pet birds,” recalls Claire. “The next time we met she gave me a card she had made with birds on it.” So, when the team was brainstorming a special Christmas event for all program participants and volunteers, Deb’s card-making skills came to mind.

Deb, whose official "Circle" finished a few years ago, was thrilled for the opportunity to share her creative crafting passion with the group. Claire says that Deb exceeded their expectations for the event. “She was so well-prepared and brought all these different upcycling materials,” recalls Claire. “Everyone absolutely loved it, and Deb was at the centre of it all.”

Seeing the growing empowerment of alumni and participants is one of the great gifts of the program and something that Claire and other Circle of Friends’ staff want to develop intentionally. “Alumni like Deb see themselves as the welcoming committee,” notes Claire. “[And] we would love to see more of that ‘participants-helping-participants’ dynamic happening.”

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Creating community with Christmas cards Back row: Claire Smith-McGill, Carol, Wayne, Ron Front row: Rebekah, Lois, Deb Wismer, Louise, Linda (MCC photo)

Thank you for supporting food sovereignty for northern Indigenous communities.

Over the past six months, the Indigenous Neighbours team in Timmins, Ontario, has been busy with programs and projects dedicated to fostering reconciliation through relationship building, art and advocacy.

One of these projects is Meechum a Wat, a food security initiative that provides canvas backpack bundles equipped with tools for land-based food harvesting to communities in Northern Ontario. These bundles empower community members to gain valuable harvesting skills, learn from Elders and Knowledge Keepers and go out on the land to harvest food. Thirty bundles have already reached Peawanuck First Nations, with 15 more en route to Mattagami in the coming weeks. We are looking forward to learning more about the impact of Meechum a Wat after the bundles have been used in this year’s fishing and hunting seasons and to watching this project grow.

We are grateful for your support in building peaceful, just and safer communities.

MCC Ontario’s Restorative Justice program works to create more peaceful, just and safer communities through training and support and by walking alongside individuals returning to community after incarceration. In our Circles of Support and Accountability (CoSA) program, MCC Ontario volunteers and staff supported 81 participants to take responsibility for harm committed, walk toward reconciliation and reintegrate into society without reoffending.

Unfortunately, there have been ongoing challenges in securing funding for the Restorative Justice program, and we now face the heartbreaking reality of closing CoSA and Faith Community Reintegration Initiative (FCRI) as of June 2024. While we have the most incredible donors, we have not been able to acquire the federal and provincial funding necessary to maintain these initiatives. While we mourn the loss of these programs, we are deeply grateful for the dedicated staff, volunteers and donors who have made this work possible for so many years. We are working closely with community partners to assist individuals in finding alternative supports in the community.

Despite the sad news, other Restorative Justice program work continues. We were thrilled to support 29 community partners with peace and justice training. Restorative Justice staff also trained 18 individuals in nonviolent peacebuilding and facilitated a healthy masculinity retreat focused on being peaceful at heart.

Thank you for giving peace, hope and welcome.

MCC Ontario’s Migration and Resettlement program works with church and community groups to sponsor and support refugees to Canada, advocates for public awareness of refugee issues and protection. From October 2023 to March 2024, staff and volunteers were active in our communities hosting training sessions for sponsorship groups, organizing public events, and speaking at churches and conferences. Amidst the busyness of the season, they also walked alongside 25 sponsorship groups as they navigated the settlement process and supported 111 newcomers beginning a new life in Canada.

Newcomers just like Isaac.

Born in a Ugandan displaced persons’ camp to Sudanese parents fleeing civil war, Isaac’s childhood was marked by upheaval. After the war, his family returned to Kajo Keji, Sudan, where he began primary school. However, peace was short-lived. Eight years later, conflict forced his family to flee to Uganda again, relying on UNHCR food aid to survive.

Bethany Community Church in St. Catharines sponsored Isaac and his cousins, bringing them to Canada in 2023. The church volunteers helped him secure housing, attend English classes and join the REACH program, which provides employment opportunities for those facing barriers. Over 24 weeks, Isaac gained new skills, a sense of belonging and confidence.

After completing the program, he was hired by Verhoef Electric Inc., starting his career as a construction and maintenance electrician. With the support of the Newcomer Committee at Bethany Community Church, Isaac continued to overcome challenges, demonstrating the power of community in creating a brighter future.

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The generosity of people like you is woven into the stories of people like Isaac. Thank you for giving peace, hope and welcome.