Gordon Letkeman talks about his work as manager for MCC’s Canadian Central Warehouse located in Plum Coulee, Man.
Name: Gordon Letkeman
Hometown: Morden, Man. (Morden Mennonite Church)
Assignment: As manager for MCC’s Canadian Central Warehouse located in Plum Coulee, Man., I oversee groups coming in to volunteer, shipments going out and coming in, inventory of supplies and maintenance for the facility.
Typical day: Every day is different. On Tuesdays, when most volunteers come, the groups sewing or organizing comforters and blankets go immediately to work. Other volunteers check shipments from the provinces or load shipments to go overseas. I work alongside volunteers and talk with them. When no volunteer groups are here, there are reports and paperwork to be done, as well as arranging for shipments and trucks to carry materials.
“We are God’s hands that serve the people.”
Joys: Sealing a container and then saying a blessing over it, just knowing that all the hard work done by so many volunteers is headed to a country with so many needs. Another joy is getting to know new people — not just the volunteers but also the material resources managers across Canada and the U.S. I have made some great friendships with all of them.
Challenge: I have great volunteers, some from families that were helped by MCC. But most are older, and I wonder where the next generation of volunteers will come from.
