MCC Ontario plans new 2-story facility

Supporters of Mennonite Central Committee Ontario are invited to a meeting at Stirling Avenue Mennonite Church here to hear about plans for a full redevelopment of the current 50 Kent office facility.  It will be held Monday, Oct. 24 at 7:30 p.m.

Having acquired adjacent vacant school board land, MCCO will build an entirely new, two-story building totalling 51,000 square feet on its current 50 Kent Avenue location.  The $12 million dollar project is expected to be completed in October 2013, with demolition and ground-breaking beginning in mid-2012.

Features of the new building include a welcoming and interactive atrium, Kent and Charles street exposure, close proximity to public transit and a commitment to sustainable design.

This visionary project plans to combine two current, overcrowded Kitchener and Waterloo thrift shops into one large and innovative shop in an excellent retail location. A Waterloo presence for thrift and volunteer involvement will remain in a different, but meaningful way.  

MCCO’s current building was constructed in the 1950s.  Since that time accessibility standards have changed drastically, as has MCCO’s response to needs in international material aid and local programming.

“We are re-visioning our current head office to create a much more active and welcoming centre where people touch, taste and participate in MCC’s practical response to the needs of the world,” says Rick Cober Bauman, executive director of MCC Ontario.  Acknowledging the expected increase in income generated from the expanded thrift shop, he adds, “Investing in thrift is investing in the work of MCC.”

--Oct. 22, 2011