East Coast
MCC’s impact on the East Coast
From Maine to Puerto Rico, MCC staff accompany partners and run programs in the East Coast region that share God’s love and compassion for all in the name of Christ.
Honoring an elder through intergenerational giving
Check out our MCC DIY fundraising guide!
MCC immigration staff in U.S. field urgent calls, questions
- Migration and Refugees
MCC UN Student Seminar plants seeds of hope and change
- Peace,
- Education
Crossing seas, planting seeds
- Education,
- Peace
"Creating an ecosystem of encounter"
- Food,
- Climate Change
MCC Material Resources Center in Ephrata, Pa. to expand warehouse
What we do on the East Coast
MCC staff partner with churches and community organizations in the East Coast to respond to basic human needs and work for peace and justice. From our immigration and restorative justice programs to our peacebuilding opportunities for church leaders and young adults, we invite you to support MCC’s ministries. Pray, serve, learn, give and advocate with MCC.
2,332
Food boxes distributed to families in need in South Central Pennsylvania and New York City in 2023.
111
People in South Florida received support with their immigration cases in 2022.
650
People in prison in Philadelphia received prison care kits in 2023.
10
Young adults served in the East Coast region through the International Volunteer Exchange Program (IVEP) in 2023-24.
MCC East Coast programs
From preparing kits to knotting comforters and quilting to baling paper, cardboard and books for recycling, volunteers at the MCC East Coast Material Resources Center in Ephrata, Pa., provide the essential humanpower behind MCC’s ministries. The Material Resources Center (MRC) functions to process and ship quality supplies for MCC both domestically and internationally. The MRC also offers educational opportunities to visitors and volunteers alike. Contact the MRC at 717-733-2847 or EastCoastMRC@mcc.org to get involved.
Read and download information about MCC East Coast food boxes.
Volunteer opportunities are also available at the Material Resource Center of Harleysville (Souderton, Pa.) and Cumberland Valley Relief Center (Chambersburg, Pa.).
MCC East Coast heeds the call to welcome the stranger among us, providing radical hospitality to immigrants and newcomers through direct service programs and partnerships.
Throughout the East Coast region, MCC staff are available to provide education and resources for congregations interested in raising awareness about immigration-related issues.
In South Florida, MCC East Coast and our partners provide immigration services at minimal fees to members of Anabaptist churches. With the supervision of immigration attorneys, immigration counselors assist church members with:
- naturalization
- family petitions
- adjustment of status
- replacement or renewal of green cards and work permits.
MCC staff in South Florida share God’s love and compassion for all in the name of Christ by providing low-cost legal services to low-income immigrants residing in the community.
Counselors meet with clients by appointment only. Please contact our offices to schedule an appointment.
Please contact: FloridaOffice@mcc.org or (305) 249-3477
The U.S. has 5% of the world’s population and 25% of the world’s prison population, according to the Equal Justice Initiative (EJI) and American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).
MCC answers Jesus’ call by journeying alongside communities who have been targeted by the mass incarceration system and working toward healing and restoration. We extend care and meet basic human needs through our prisoner care kits that we deliver to those who are incarcerated in Philadelphia.
Learn more and donate prison care kits.
Read about our annual MLK, Jr. Mass Incarceration Day of Service in Philadelphia.
For MCC, young adults are an incredible source of inspiration, challenge and hope. Young adults, ages 18-30, can attend a peace camp, be a Summer Service participant in their local community, serve with Serving And Learning Together (SALT) in an international setting for one year, or intern in one of MCC’s offices. Engage with MCC's International Volunteer Exchange Program (IVEP) by becoming a partner agency or host family. MCC offers young adult programs and service opportunities for all ages in many locations.
Find your place with MCC and join us in sharing God’s love and compassion for all in the name of Christ, responding to basic human needs and working for peace and justice.
Resource: Circle Process for Young Adults
Learn how to bring people together as equals to have open conversations about difficult issues, painful experiences or experiences of celebration in a safe environment that centers on respect and concern for everyone.
Download the brochure in English
Download the brochure in Spanish
To request physical copies of this brochure, contact EastCoast@mcc.org.
Peace & Practice Coordinator
Aaron Oda serves with MCC East Coast as Peace and Practice Coordinator and is based in Harrisonburg, Virginia.
Oda has over 10 years of experience as a peacebuilding practitioner with a primary focus on peacebuilding praxis, conflict transformation, restorative and healing justice practices, peace education, and participatory change processes. He holds a M.A. in Conflict Transformation from the Center of Justice and Peacebuilding at Eastern Mennonite University (EMU).
As MCC East Coast’s Peace and Practice Coordinator, Oda is available to travel throughout the East Coast region to offer peacebuilding training and workshops with pastors, church leaders, congregations, schools, community groups and other partners in the following areas:
- Dialogue and communication in difficult conversations
- Circle Processes
- Restorative justice, healing harm and reconciliation
- Mediation and negotiation skills
- Trauma and resilience
- Holding space for change
- Anti-oppression strategies
To learn more and connect with Aaron Oda, email EastCoast@mcc.org.
Resource: Peaceful Practices
Check out MCC's resource, “Peaceful Practices: A guide to healthy communication in conflict.”
Open Arms Network
Open Arms Network, an initiative of Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) East Coast’s Southcentral Pennsylvania Program, brings together organizations and congregations to provide a holistic support system to refugees in southcentral Pennsylvania.
The U.S. Executive Order in January 2025 suspending the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program present challenges to Open Arms Network and our partners. However, our mission remains unchanged and we will work to ensure that refugees already in our communities receive the support they need to thrive. During this time of uncertainty, we will be intensifying our efforts to:
- Connect with more churches
- Expand job search support
- Provide guidance or referrals on immigration issues
- Strengthen ESL (English as a Second Language) program initiatives
- Advocate for policies that uphold a welcoming and dignified refugee status
Rolando Flores-Rentas, Southcentral PA Program Coordinator for MCC East Coast, takes a selfie with his daughter and a resettled refugee family from Tanzania who has participated in the Open Arms Network in Lancaster, Pennsylvania in October 2023. MCC photo/Rolando Flores-Rentas
Open Arms Network envisions refugees arriving in southcentral Pennsylvania successfully navigating the resettlement process, enabling them to build and enjoy a full, enriching life in their new environment. Through collaboration and support, we strive to create a network that provides comprehensive assistance, addresses immediate needs and fosters long-term self-sufficiency for individuals seeking a better future for themselves and their family.
Open Arms Network’s mission is to provide immediate essentials such as food, shelter, clothing and household items, while also extending assistance in education, job training, and mental health support through partnerships with faith-based and humanitarian organizations. We aim to build a strong safety net that helps refugees thrive, contribute and become integral members of communities throughout Southcentral Pennsylvania.
Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) East Coast administers the Open Arms Network program. It provides financial and material resources to churches in south-central Pennsylvania that form a Welcome Team to assist a refugee family in their resettlement process. These churches can request a one-time grant per family to help them with the direct expenses of the refugees. MCC funds can be used to purchase household items or anything else the refugee family may need. The MCC can also assist church Welcome Teams by providing quilts, school kits, food boxes and hygiene kits. The MCC East Coast program coordinator can also support Welcome Teams and refugee families by visiting them and connecting them with other resources as needed.
Church World Service (CWS) Lancaster’s resettlement team provides initial welcome and core services like housing, school enrollment, work readiness support and ESL classes to new refugee neighbors. MCC’s partnership with CWS Lancaster through the Open Arms Network invites congregations in southcentral PA to form CWS Welcome Teams that can support refugee families during their resettlement process
Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS) recruits, organizes and empowers volunteers to repair and rebuild the homes of those impacted by disasters in the United States and Canada. MCC’s partnership with MDS through the Open Arms Network supports churches who wish to house refugees by providing materials and recruiting volunteers to do home repairs on a property that the church already owns or plans to acquire.
Given the January 2025 U.S. Executive Order suspending the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program, your support of the Open Arms Network is needed now more than ever. Complete this form to get involved and we’ll reach out to you.
Stay informed and advocate for policies that promote compassionate refugee resettlement. Speak up for those seeking refuge and asylum by contacting your member of congress.
Donate hygiene items and nonperishable food items to MCC. Find a list of food box contents, hygiene kit contents and drop-off locations at mcc.org/groceries and mcc.org/hygiene-kits.
Donate to MCC at mcc.org/donate, call 1-888-563-4676 or mail a check (made out to “MCC” with “MCC East Coast Open Arms Network” in the memo line) to MCC, PO Box 500, Akron PA 17501. If donating online, write “MCC East Coast Open Arms Network” in the “Other notes or instructions” box when completing your donation.
Know of job opportunities in the Lancaster, Lebanon, York and Ephrata areas? Please share them with us so that we can help expand our job search support to refugees who have already arrived.
Volunteer on a Welcome Team, rent housing to a refugee family, or donate household cleaning products, kitchen items, small appliances or furniture (in good repair). As a majority of CWS Lancaster staff are currently furloughed, please fill out the Open Arms Network contact form or email EastCoast@mcc.org to get involved with a Welcome Team.
Get involved with MCC on the East Coast
Find your place with MCC! There are many ways to get involved both close to home and around the world.
Connect with MCC at an event near you! Visit relief sales, pedal in bike ride fundraisers, enjoy food and fellowship at alumni and friends gatherings and more. We can’t wait to see you!
TriState Relief Sale, Spring, PA
Johnstown Area TriState Relief Sale
Gap Relief Auction
Virginia Mennonite Relief Sale
Featured resources
Check out these resources for individuals, churches, schools and other groups based on the East Coast!
Peaceful Practices: A guide to healthy communication in conflict
Embracing Beloved Community
Give a gift where needed most
Every donation makes a difference.