KITCHENER, ONT.—Just weeks before it was scheduled to begin work in Ontario, Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) Ontario cancelled its 2015 meat canning events in Leamington and Elmira in April. According to Bob Lebold, MCC material resources coordinator, despite yearly updates to the 23-year-old canner trailer, it did not meet safety requirements this year. “A new canner is being built right now,” in Pennsylvania, he says. It will be state of the art and be able to produce more of the one-kilogram cans of meat more quickly. Last year, MCC produced more than 60,000 cans of meat during stops across North America. In the meantime, fundraising for the new canner trailer began with the annual breakfast on March 21. Other donations are welcome. In order to give the volunteers an outlet for their service energies, a comforter-knotting blitz is being planned for Elmira from April 22 to 23, 2015 at the Elmira Produce Auction; the goal is to knot up to 500 comforters to be shipped to the Middle East in June. To volunteer, call Keith and Diane Snyder at 519-669-4084. —By Dave Rogalsky
