The Board Chair for Steinbach MCC says 2014 was another successful year.

Steinbach MCC Community Assistance Centre Incorporated held its annual general meeting (right inset) this week. It was attended by approximately 65 people. Gordon Kornelson says the thrift store alone raised approximately $1.4 million in 2014, an increase of 2.3% over 2013.

Kornelson says $750,000 of that will be sent to MCC Manitoba. The Incorporation also gave $50,000 to ten charities last year.

Kornelson notes 2014 was also a good year for Ten Thousand Villages, which saw sales of nearly $180,000, almost identical to the previous year. This money is used to purchase artifacts from artisans in order to help them pay for food, education, health care and housing.

Meanwhile, the Steinbach thrift store spent approximately $20,000 recently to add four new electronic cash registers. This has allowed customers to now pay with credit or debit. Kornelson notes staff have picked this up very quickly and adds they will soon have the necessary equipment for items to be scanned at the checkout counter.

Kornelson says the MCC store provides many benefits to the community. It allows people to drop off unwanted articles and purchase items at a reduced rate, it provides a place of fellowship and raises money to be used for relief work of human suffering, both locally and abroad. The Steinbach MCC thrift store and Ten Thousand Villages rely on about 225 volunteers.