Bake sale, borscht and bouncy castles

MCC B.C. Festival for World Relief back this fall

July 28, 2021 | News | Volume 25 Issue 16D
Amy Rinner Waddell | B.C. Correspondent
Abbotsford, B.C.
Crowds will be back for the 2021 Festival for World Relief sponsored by MCC B.C., to be held on Sept. 17 and 18. (Photo courtesy of MCC B.C.)

A September tradition in British Columbia is returning with the Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) B.C. Festival for World Relief, scheduled in Abbotsford on Sept. 17 and 18.

  While the pandemic forced a drastically downscaled event last year, consisting only of a drive-through food pickup with limited choices, the 2021 event will be the traditional in-person celebration and fundraiser.

“The Festival is back this year at the Tradex in Abbotsford,” says MCC B.C. coordinator Katie Kowalchuk. “It will be very similar to years past, with all the amazing food, children’s area, shopping and more!”

This year’s project is helping displaced families around the world, with a goal of raising $1 million.

An MCC B.C. release states, “This summer, as we prepare to gather and restrictions continue to lift, the end of the pandemic is still years away for many families living in poverty around the world, families who don't have access to basic necessities, like food.”

The Sept. 17 event will run from 5 to 9 p.m., while festivities the next day will run from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

There will be something for everyone, promise organizers. Food options will include vereniki and sausage, portzelky and borscht, while shopping options will include quilts, a bake sale, MCC Thrift, Ten Thousand Villages, craft booths and fresh produce. A bouncy castle and rock-climbing wall will be available for children.

The MCC cyclathon, held each year for the past 12 years, will be held in conjunction with the festival. Cyclists have a choice of three routes: 10, 20 and 50 kilometres. Although there is no registration fee, a donation of $50 per rider or $100 per family is suggested, and riders are asked to raise additional funds if possible.

For more information, visit mccbc.ca.

Do you have a story idea about Mennonites in B.C.? Send it to Amy Rinner Waddell at bc@canadianmennonite.org.

Crowds will be back for the 2021 Festival for World Relief sponsored by MCC B.C., to be held on Sept. 17 and 18. (Photo courtesy of MCC B.C.)

Vereniki remains a popular food choice for those attending the annual MCC B.C. Festival for World Relief, to be held on Sept. 17 and 18. (Photo courtesy of MCC B.C.)

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