Ukrainian Mennonites are a group of Mennonites of German language, tradition and ethnicity, who are descents from German-Dutch Anabaptists who settled for about 250 years in West Prussia and established colonies in the southwest of the Russian Empire (present-day Ukraine) beginning in 1789.
Since the late 19th century, many of them have come to communities throughout the Western Hemisphere including Black Creek. This year people with Mennonite heritage and supporters throughout the community are volunteering in a Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) World Relief Fair Saturday, May 23 to raise funds for the current situation in the Ukraine.
The Ukrainian state emergency services is reporting that over one million people in Ukraine have been displaced within the country because of violence and conflict.
A further 640,000 have fled to neighbouring countries. Since April of 2014, more than 5,617 people have died in the conflict in eastern Ukraine.
In light of this, MCC is significantly increasing its support to people in Ukraine.
MCC is currently providing emergency food baskets for displaced families from Crimea and food, shelter and other assistance for families in Zaporizhzhia and Nikopol.
Your participation in the fair will help MCC provide:
- Food support for children from an orphanage in eastern Ukraine, who have been displaced to Kiev by the conflict.
- Shelter assistance and heating fuel for displaced people in the Zhytomyr region.
- Additional food assistance, as well as heating fuel and shelter assistance for displaced families in the Zaporizhzhia region.
- Food assistance and shelter support for displaced people in the city of Nikopol in the Dnipropetrovsk region.
The Relief Fair is located at the Black Creek Community Hall and begins May 23 at 8 a.m. with a pancake breakfast. Other food booths and a huge rummage tent open at 9 a.m.
Expect to see kids activities, plant and bake sales and a silent and live auction.
All of the proceeds of this fair are going to help the people of Ukraine. More
Information can be found at http://mcccanada.ca/stories/balloons-baby or http://mcccanada.ca/stories/mcc-appeals-donations-respond-ukraine-crisis