Three Mennonite Church Canada congregations—two in Ontario and one in British Columbia—have been approved to receive grants from the Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS) Spirit of MDS Fund:
- In Toronto, Connect City will use a grant of $5,000 from the fund to assist refugee youth. One way the church will assist them is by once again offering a summer camp that allows youth to get out of the cramped quarters of the shelter where they live, which is located in an old hotel.
- Niagara United Mennonite Church in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont., will use a grant of $5,000 to build a laundry facility for seasonal workers who come to the area each year from Jamaica and Mexico to work on local farms. The workers are housed by local farmers. In many cases, says Kathy Rempel, a church member, the housing is adequate and workers are satisfied. But one thing that is lacking is a good facility for laundry.
- Sherbrooke Mennonite Church in Vancouver will use a grant of $5,000 to expand its services for newcomers in the city, such as refugee claimants and new immigrants. The church is expanding its assistance by providing non-food products, such as personal hygiene items, menstrual products, laundry detergent and dish-washing soap.
For more information, or to apply, visit mds.org/spirit-of-mds-fund.
—Mennonite Disaster Service
