A Gratifying Little Backyard Benefit For MCC

Auctioneers Linford Berry and Kervin Yoder taking bids
on a mirror. (photo by Joe Peachey)

While no fundraising records were set at the pre-Virginia Mennonite Relief Sale event held at our house Saturday, around 75 friends, neighbors and relatives helped us net  $1658.50 for Mennonite Central Committee refugee relief.* The weather was ideal, we found a new home for a lot of our things, and everyone seemed to enjoy a good time.

Our special thanks to neighbors and friends Keith Braddock, Jacob Hill, Marv Nisly, Craig Peterson, Guy and Margie Vlasits and others who helped us get things set up and organized. And thanks to our son Brent and grandsons Ian and Keaton for serving hotdogs, snack packs and cold drinks. And we so appreciate everyone who bought items sold at auction and who made generous donations for things they picked up from six tables of free items.

Nothing would have gone smoothly and efficiently without the generous help of Kervin Yoder with Yoder Auctions of Stuarts Draft and Linford Beery and wife Judith and daughter Lanette of Mountain View Auctions of Dayton. For a fraction of what they would normally earn, they provided invaluable help with details, offered the use of their tables, posted on free auction sites, and took care of issuing bidding cards and collecting payments. We highly recommend their services.

Thanks also to Les Horning who staffed a table with information on Mennonite Central Committee and Dave Rush, chair of the all volunteer Virginia Mennonite Relief Sale organization who, with Lydia Mussleman, of the Relief Sale's Sharing Our Surplus (SOS) Committee, took care of the donations received for the free items.

Appropriately, Dave's bid car number was selected at random for the appreciation prize at the end of the sale, a free weekend for two at MCC's Welcoming Place Village at their headquarters in Akron, PA, in the heart of Pennsylvania Dutch country. 

Sincere thanks to everyone who helped make this happen. While we wish more would have attended, and we could have raised even more money, the auction seemed a better alternative than 1) simply storing our stuff somewhere for our children to take care of later, 2) making multiple more trips to the landfill and to thrift stores, or 3) having the headache of yard sales and/or posting things on ebay or craigslist.

We feel relieved having this final step behind us, and would likely do it all over again. And should you to ever do anything like this for an organization like Mennonite Central Committee, we'll try to be there.

Sola de gloria.

* 8/23/21 UPDATE: A generous supporter who could not attend the sale just contributed an additional $2000!

NOTE: Another pre-Relief Sale event sponsored by the same Sharing Our Surplus (SOS) Relief Sale Committee will be a Fundraiser Walk from Community Mennonite Church at 6 pm this Sunday, August 29. Last year's Walk raised over $14,000 for refugee relief. See https://www.facebook.com/RefugeeSOS