The Mennonite Central Committee celebrated its 100th anniversary with a comforter making charity event.

"The Great Winter Warm-Up", hosted at Steinbach Mennonite Church, was a full day affair beginning at 9:00 am on Saturday, and continuing until 4:00 pm. With the goal of reaching three hundred comforters, organizers Eleanor Dyck and Mary Martens welcomed literally "anyone who could tie their shoes".

“We assemble the tops in our homes and then sandwich them,” described Martens, “there’s a back and a top made from patches and we tassel the edges and thread the crochet cotton through, then we snip and tie.”

Last year the MCC sent out over 60,000 comforters to needy people all over the world; many who are refugees.

“A comforter, especially one that is handmade, is a sign of love” explained Dyck. “They can wrap it around themselves and feel that somewhere, somebody out there cares for them. So, it’s a really concrete, physical thing that we can do for somebody who has nothing.”

All of the comforters will be sent to Plum Coulee, MCC’s central shipping for Canada, and then be delivered to where they are needed most.