Ohio Mennonite Relief Sale ready to make worldwide impact
The annual Ohio Mennonite Relief Sale & Auction in Mt. Hope and the My Coins Count effort provided nearly $500,000 to Mennonite Central Committee last year, dollars that went toward providing fresh water, food, supplies and more on a global capacity.
The Ohio Mennonite Relief Sale & Auction's hope is this is the year it finally reaches a major goal during the 59th annual sale and auction July 12-13 at the Mt. Hope Event Center.
Last year saw OMRSA raise $480,000 for Mennonite Central Committee, and the board and its many volunteers are focused on upping the ante enough to get to $500,000 this year.
“We were just $20,000 shy of the half-a-million mark,” board member Adam Heath said. “We want to hit that number this year so badly. We continue to grow, but that $500,000 mark is right there for us, and that’s all thanks to the many people who donate to us and purchase items, whether it is the auction, food or anything else. Every penny goes directly to MCC and makes a huge impact on lives around the world.”
For more than half a century, the Mennonite churches in Northeastern Ohio, in particular in Wayne, Stark and Holmes counties, have worked together to put on an event to raise funds for MCC, the relief and community development arm of the Mennonite Church, which works in many countries around the world to send aid when disasters strike, to drill wells for clean water, to teach people skills to help support themselves and their families, and to provide life-sustaining aid.
One of the organization’s largest support systems is this annual auction.
For nearly six decades, OMRSA has been a staple of providing funds for MCC, which has been providing aid around the world for twice that many years.
The event will kick off Friday, July 12 at 4 p.m. with a silent auction, plenty of food, an artisan’s market, quilter’s corner and a full display of all the auction items.
Starting at 6 p.m., the girls volleyball tournament will go throughout the night, all of this taking place under one roof, along with live music by the New Sound Bluegrass Group starting at 6:30 p.m.
On Saturday the event will kick into high gear, with a full breakfast of pancakes, fresh sausage, eggs and more.
The annual 1k Kids Run and 5k Run and Walk for Relief will start at 7:30 a.m., with the artisan’s market, quilter’s corner, auction displays and food stands opening at 8 a.m.
Another attraction will be the Mennonite Disaster Service storm trailer, where people can see how disaster aid reaches out to those facing struggles during natural disasters.
The main auction will start at 9 a.m. with quilts, wall hangings, locally made furniture, tools and more.
“We’ve got an incredible lineup of auction items, something for everyone,” Heath said.
The lineup includes Amish-crafted furniture, four E-bikes, quilts, a Scag v-ride 52-inch mower, lawn care items, a queen bed set, household goods, plants, a restored Victorian dollhouse and thousands of other items.
Many area businesses have donated thousands of dollars in gift cards, which will be auctioned off at the live auction and online.
“We thought it would be fun to get the community involved and promote the gift card theme,” Heath said.
While the adults are busy bidding, kids can enjoy the day too. They can play in the kids area, where there will be plenty of activities and a bounce house, or they can partake in the children’s auction, where the kids — with the permission of their parents — are allowed to purchase a bidding card and bid on items of their choosing.
“Kids can register with their parents and do their bidding for items just like the big auction,” Heath said.
The children’s auction will begin at 10:30 a.m. and is for children age 12 and under.
If people can’t make it to the auction, there is an online option via the Buy It Now button offered on select items, or they can secure an online proxibid for items, log on the day of the sale and have at it just as though they were there live.
Throughout the day there will be plenty of food to dine on including the popular Laotian egg rolls for which the sale has become so well known. Other food items will include barbecued chicken, Amish noodles, homemade ice cream, Amish fry pies and more.
“We invite everyone to come and eat with us, enjoy the music, participate in an auction, or just come and watch and join in the fellowship,” Heath said. “What we do here is critical to people all around the world.”
Other ways to give include the My Coins Count program and the return of the book sale.
For more information or to sign up for an online bidding number, visit the website at www.ohiomccreliefsale.org. Some of the items in the auction also may be viewed on that site.