The Pembina Valley Pregnancy Care Centre (PVPCC) is teaming up with the Altona MCC Gift & Thrift Store next week to raise both funds and awareness for their work in the community.
MCC has committed to donate all sales they make on Wednesday, Jan. 29 to the PVPCC.
“This is a new initiative for us,” explains store manager David Rempel. “We actually have five different local charities, organizations, or ministries that we support here on a quarterly basis where we have a certain number of funds that we forward to these places.
“This year the board decided that they wanted to do something extra on top of that by designating one day where all the proceeds would go to a particular organization … giving them more exposure and also showing the connection between Altona MCC thrift and, in this case, the Pembina Valley Pregnancy Care Centre.”
The PVPCC day next week will be followed by similar days dedicated to Genesis House (March 19), Altona Youth for Christ (May 14), the Rhineland and Area Food Bank (Sept. 17), and Adult and Teen Challenge (Nov. 5).
Rempel notes this doesn’t take the place of the quarterly donations each of these non-profits will receive from the thrift shop—they will still receive that on top of whatever is raised from these respective days.
“We’ve had long-standing support [of these agencies]. But the reality is that a lot of people just don’t know about the support that we give to these different organizations,” he said, noting MCC is most known for its global relief efforts. “We wanted to let the community know this is something we are doing and we want to shine a spotlight on these organizations as well.”
PVPCC executive director Linda Marek says that they’ll have volunteers on hand at the store that day to help out and answer any questions people may have about the programs and services they offer to families experiencing pregnancy.
“We have been blessed by the generosity of Altona MCC, and we are so glad they asked us to be a part of this special event,” she says, noting that while the financial contribution will most certainly be a blessing, the awareness-raising potential is also an amazing opportunity.
“We are always grateful when people spread the word … because you never know who might need our help,” she says. “It might not be you but a friend or family member or colleague … if you know about us and can help someone in need, point them in the right direction, that’s great. To have that awareness in the community is really important.”
From its offices in Winkler, Morden, and Altona, the PVPCC provides free, confidential support to anyone impacted by pregnancy, whether it be planned or unexpected.
They provide things like pregnancy tests, mom and baby items, parenting support, various grief support groups (including Steps in Hope for those grieving a miscarriage or stillbirth, the next session of which begins Feb. 11), prenatal learning sessions, access to a learning library, and more.
“There’s never a charge for anyone to reach out for help,” Marek stresses.
The need for their services has grown in each of the last several years.
“Last year we saw about 160 different people. The year before that was 125, and the year before that was about 100,” Marek says.
You can learn more by stopping by the Altona MCC next week Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
