Mennonite Central Committee

Lodging

One space for RV hook-up. Private trailer with living room, kitchen, 1 bedroom, bathroom. Food is provided.

Opportunities

Brightwood Ranch is a Christian camp providing a summer camp experience for inner city and underprivileged children and youth of Edmonton and surrounding areas. The camp owns 220 acres in rolling hills located one hour west of Edmonton and two hours from Canadian Rockies.

Type of service opportunities available: Kitchen work, maintenance, office work, nurse, Helping at an activity area - horses, archery, climbing wall, crafts, sports.

Would welcome people from a couple days, 1-2 weeks or 1-4 months.

Churches in the area include: Baptist, Church of the Way, Word of Life, Pentecostal.

Lodging

Lodging is provided with separate living space within the guest home which would include a bedroom and their own bathroom. Volunteers would share kitchen space with house guests.

Opportunities

Foothills Mennonite Church is an urban congregation located centrally in the city of Calgary, in very close proximity to the Foothills Hospital. The guest house is intended to be an extension of the ministry of our congregation. We are committed to providing Christian hospitality to people from outside of the city with loved one in the hospital. People from outside the city requiring out-patient treatment at the hospital are also welcome.

This project will benefit from the support of volunteers who will actually live in the guest house, providing the day to day hosting, extending Christian hospitality to those seeking a quiet and safe 'home away from home' during difficult times in their lives.

Local guest house managers will provide ongoing support and direction to the volunteer hosts. Day to day duties include: basic house cleaning, laundry (bedding only), initial booking, greeting and orientation of guests to the guest house and visiting with the guests.

A basic breakfast is provided for the guests, but does not require preparation by the hosts. Also, guests are expected to get their own lunch and supper. It is assumed that the guests will have their own transportation.

Lodging

Housing can be arranged for a reasonable cost.

Opportunities

Fraser Valley Gleaners has been in operation since September 2001. Their purpose is to process and dry local vegetables and fruit for distribution to the hungry people of the world. Opportunities include, sorting, cutting, spreading and removal of processed products.

An informational website on motels and other points of interest is www.abbotsfordchamber.com.

Lodging

RV spots, cabins and when necessary, accommodations in homes can be arranged.

Opportunities

The purpose of the camp is to give children and youth the opportunity to enjoy the outdoors and become acquainted with their Creator. SOOP volunteers would be involved with maintenance, cooking, and building when needed.

Lodging

RV hook-ups available. Meals are available when groups are on-site. Volunteers will be responsible for their food when camp is not booked.

Opportunities

Camp Squeah is owned by Mennonite Church British Columbia. The camp is utilized in every season. In summer for children's camp; spring/fall for weekend use by churches, mid week use by school groups for outdoor education; and in winter for weekend rentals to various groups. The mission statement is 'in response to God who loves us and calls us'. Camp Squeah provides a place of refuge in a natural setting where people of all ages can build relationships, grow and be nurtured. The service opportunities available are maintenance assistance. Their full time site manager would enjoy working alongside people who enjoy working to make things work well and safely. Spring and fall are the best seasons to serve.

Lodging

Limited lodging available.

Opportunities

Okanagan Gleaners, begun and operated by Christian volunteers since autumn of 1994, processes and dries local fruits and vegetables for distribution to needy people in the world. Volunteers participate in the various aspects of the process. Limited billeting is available.

Opportunities are from May through November.

Lodging

6 fully serviced camping/RV sites are available on site as well as a small washroom with shower in our shop.

Opportunities

Fairhaven is a retreat centre committed to providing a place and ministry where Christian leaders can be encouraged, supported and restored physically, emotionally, and spiritually. The primary focus is serving those in positions of church, mission, and para-church leadership. Presently three cottages, one staff home, a large maintenance shop, and a temporary office grace Fairhaven's 167 acres. Opportunities for volunteers include: repair and construction related tasks, cottage cleaning, hiking trail development and maintenance, and rock cairn building and landscaping.

www.fairhavenministries.org

Lodging

Trailers or RVs could be accommodated, and camp staff housing is available.

Opportunities

A Christian youth ranch camp on 240 acres in the beautiful Pembina Valley, located in southern Manitoba approximately 35 minutes from Winkler (2 hours from Winnipeg). Numerous Mennonite churches are in close proximity. Volunteers can help with construction of a cabin, maintenance, food services, office work and gardening, and be a part of the spiritual ministry of the camp through devotions and involvement in chapels.

Opportunities are available May to October.

Lodging

There are several RV parks/campgrounds and motels serving the community. For groups of 10 or more, there is modestly priced dormitory space available in a nearby school in July and August. Mennonite Heritage Village will assist in locating suitable lodging arrangements if necessary.

Opportunities

The Mennonite Heritage Village exists to preserve and exhibit, for present and future generations, the experience and the story of the Russian Mennonites and their contributions to Manitoba. Their story is told through exhibits, artifacts and display panels in a permanent gallery, and through an outdoor pioneer village. For the volunteer, there is a wide range of tasks available, from cataloguing artifacts, computer data entry, heritage building restoration, costumed interpretation of heritage buildings and culture, demonstrations of pioneer skills such as blacksmithing, threshing, flour milling, saw milling, spinning, quilting, milk separation, butter churning, bread baking in an outdoor clay oven, gardening, grounds-keeping, antique vehicle and equipment care and repair, and much more. These tasks are typically available from April through October.

Lodging

Accommodation on site as is food on a partial basis.  RV hook-ups available.

Opportunities

Camps with Meaning, a ministry of Mennonite Church - Manitoba, operates three year-round camps in Manitoba. Opportunities available in: food service: food preparation, cooking, baking, dishwashing; custodial: cleaning floors, washrooms, washing walls; maintenance: minor repair and upkeep of buildings, equipment, vehicles, etc. We would welcome persons on terms, 1 -12 months. The camps are located near Winnipeg, Boissevain and Sprague.

Lodging

Accommodations can be arranged.

Opportunities

Winnipeg is a city of 650,000 located on the Red River, 108 kms north of the U.S. border. Being near the centre of Canada, it is a major transportation centre. Although the city's population is now fairly diverse, most of the people are English speaking with French, German, and Ukrainian being other predominant languages. There are about 75,000 First Nations people living in Winnipeg.

There are a variety of service assignments available in Winnipeg:

Agape Table

Soup kitchen where the need is to help prepare and serve hot, free meals, and hospitality to the poor.

Family Community Centre

Provides a drop-in for young moms to chat and discuss issues that affect them. Volunteers would help with the day to day operations of the centre.

Habitat for Humanity

Volunteers can serve on various working committees and in the office. Habitat Re-Store is another area for volunteer involvement. Re-Store diverts used construction materials and offers them for sale to the public at costs that are much lower than retail. All proceeds from sales go towards assisting in the primary mission of Habitat. Construction activities are generally in the summer, but occasional slow builds may take place any time of the year.

Union Gospel Mission

Soup kitchen and clothing distribution, where volunteers would be involved in cooking, serving meals and providing hospitality and friendship.

Winnipeg Harvest Food Bank

An organization committed to distributing surplus food and eliminating hunger in the city. Volunteers would help with general warehouse work and administrative duties.

Lodging

Lodging plus stipend is provided.

Opportunities

Every spring and autumn the Petitcodiac Mennonite Church organizes Ten Thousand Villages Festival sales in Atlantic Canada (New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland). The warehouse is located on the Main Street in Petitcodiac with a small store front. Couples spend part of the week working in the warehouse, pricing, organizing products, loading and unloading with every weekend on the road (3-4 days at a time) in rental trucks, going to sale sites, setting up, selling, and packing up the Ten Thousand Villages products with the help of local volunteers. Sales are sponsored by many denominations across the Maritimes with couples being billeted at each sale location. Previous Ten Thousand Villages or retail experience is a great asset. Laptops are brought to each sale, so couples must have some comfort with computers.These positions are ideally suited for couples, although singles are welcomed. Volunteers need to be physically healthy and at least one person of each couple will need to be able to lift and carry boxes up to 15kg. They should enjoy travel and working with other people. Volunteers must be able to work independently and make decisions on their own. Please note: These are full-time positions (40 hrs per week including driving time).  

Lodging

A pleasant furnished one-bedroom apartment is provided on site for volunteer's. Volunteers would need to provide own food.

Opportunities

Prayer Mountain Retreat and Motel is a 14 room retreat centre/motel providing accommodation for both believers and seekers who can stay for a period of time as brief as one night or for as long as they need to "retreat". Located in beautiful New Brunswick, only minutes from the city of Moncton, the service location will provide opportunity for volunteers to tour the Maritime provinces while serving in eastern Canada. The service opportunity available is for a couple to reside at the facility and be on-site caretakers in conjunction with owners' supervision. This would include booking rooms, meeting guests, cleaning rooms, participating in catering group retreats, mowing grass, shovelling snow and the general maintenance of the property. Website: www.prayermountainretreat.com  

Lodging

Trailers or RVs could be accommodated, and camp staff housing is available.

Opportunities

Volunteers at Fraser Lake Camp can serve as Bible teachers for children attending camp during the summer, help with the nature program, mentor younger staff, or help with camp maintenance. Projects at McArthur's Mills Mennonite Church in nearby Bancroft also a possibility.

Opportunities from May to August only.

Lodging

Accommodation can be arranged in local homes or local MVS unit house.

Opportunities

The Welcome Inn Community Centre and Church responds to spiritual, social and physical needs of residents in an older part of the inner city. Programs include women's and men's groups, children's after-school clubs, youth drop-in, visitation, older adult programs, Bible study groups, family activities, and Collective Kitchens. The Welcome Inn Church is an exciting and growing group of people gaining maturity in faith, commitment and responsibility. SOOP volunteers will have opportunities to participate in and assist with all of the above programs. Also, there is specific need for handy persons to do maintenance, repairs and renovations of the physical facilities.

Opportunities are available year-round.

Lodging

furnished accommodations plus small stipend is provided. Financial assistance towards transportation costs incurred while traveling to and from this assignment will also be given.

Opportunities

Ten Thousand Villages Head Office and Distribution Centre is located in New Hamburg, Ontario; 1 1/2 hrs west of Toronto, midway between Kitchener and Stratford. Volunteers would work in the Distribution Center for Ten Thousand Village's. The following list reflects the range of duties assigned (specific tasks will be determined based upon applicant's abilities and interests and the needs of the Distribution Center): picking and packing orders, festival sales department assistance, occasional delivery truck driving, annual tent sale assistance (one Sat in Sept). Volunteers must have the ability to do regular standing, walking and bending for extended periods of time. Depending upon the specific position, one may need to have fine motor coordination, ability to push/pull pallets, capacity for reaching and climbing 3 steps on a cart and ability to lift up to 40 lbs. Teamwork, verbal communication, attention to detail, integrity and trust are also important to the task. For safety purposes Ten Thousand Villages requires that steel-toed shoes be worn in the Distribution Center and will contribute $37.50 per person towards this cost. Hours of work: 8:00 am - 4:00 pm (15 min break at 10:00 am and 2:30 pm and a half hour lunch from 12:00 - 12:30) Monday to Friday. Participants may choose to work half days on Fridays or take a whole day off every other Friday.

Lodging

may be the guest room in a private home with shared kitchen facilities and living space.

Opportunities

For over 20 years the Ottawa Mennonite Church has been hosting an annual Ten Thousand Villages (formerly Self Help Crafts of the World) sale during the month of November. Ten Thousand Villages provides fair income to Third World people by selling their handicrafts and telling their stories in North America. The Ten Thousand Villages Festival Sale at the Ottawa Mennonite Church operates every Friday and Saturday in November. A tea room serving sandwiches, borscht, desserts, tea and coffee is also part of the sale on Saturdays.
This project is made possible with the support of many local volunteers from both the church and the larger community who help with the set up of the sale and the selling of the products. One or two full-time volunteers who can be available on a regular basis during the week are also needed to help ensure the smooth running of the sale.
Sale coordinators will provide support and direction to the full-time volunteer(s). Duties include: receiving shipments, helping to unpack the product, and store packing material (boxes, bubble wrap, crates, etc.), assisting with set up of sale areas, assisting with the actual sale on Fridays and Saturdays, helping to organize the final pack up at the end of the sale. Please note some heavy lifting may be required. Meals are provided for all volunteers during the sale hours.
One to two people are needed from late October to the end of November for approximately 25-30 hours per week, although there is flexibility in dates and hours. Previous Ten Thousand Villages experience is an asset, but not essential.

Lodging

Housing arrangements will be made by MCC Toronto office.

Opportunities

Serve in the most multi-cultural city in North America. SOOP volunteers can serve in the various ministries of Mennonite and other churches. Settings include visiting with and helping seniors at a seniors complex, assisting the staff at a Mennonite refugee and immigrant center that provides holistic services and a Mennonite chaplaincy outreach in a high-rise community where thousands of people from all over the world live. Also, volunteers can serve in homeless shelters and soup kitchens, by serving meals and interacting with marginal people. One can also help at the local MCC Thrift Shop and Ten Thousand Villages stores.

Lodging

Arrangements will be made by the MCC Québec office.

Opportunities

SOOP volunteers in Montreal could participate in preparing or serving food, sorting donations, supporting after-school ministries, teaching language classes, visiting seniors, cleaning or painting different community centres or assisted living agencies. Having some understanding of the French language is a great asset, but not a prerequisite.
Montreal is a foot-friendly city, so bring a pair of good walking shoes.