Mennonite Fall Fair

Turning Goods and Services into Food and Clean Water!

URGENT NEEDS – JUNE 2012:

We urgently need coordinators for Garage Sale, Venue Recruitment and Local Crafts.  Call Wendy at 250-963-9276 to find out what is involved and help to ensure that we can keep all venues open this year.

 

How will you serve with us? What can you give?

Join us on September 29, 2012 for the 31st Annual Mennonite Fall Fair at the Civic Centre in Prince George! Hundreds come out each year to enjoy a great meal and shop for quality new and used items. Food sales to take home include Mennonite farmer sausage, perogies, local and Okanagan produce, fair trade coffee and scrumptious home baking, jams and preserves. You can find your treasure at the Crafts booth, Silent Auction (morning only), Used Books, Used Clothing and Garage Sale sections. Support an artisan overseas when you purchase fair trade crafts in the Ten Thousand Villages section. Kids will enjoy the Food Court, balloons purchased from the wandering clowns and Garage Sale finds.

All this fun supports Mennonite Central Commitee relief and development around the world. This year the Fair will again support projects for Food and Clean Water in developing countries. You can make a donation at the donations booth or just throw your spare change into the Penny Power wheelbarrow on your way out; Penny Power donations will be matched 4:1 by Canadian International Development Agency.

If you live in the Prince George area and want to donate new or used goods, refer to the bulletin insert which will be on the website in September, or contact theherrings@shaw.ca (This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)  You can donate to our relief sale even if you live far away. Quilters and knitters from Pennsylvania, Kansas, Dawson Creek and Surrey have all sent goods to our sale!

Join us from 10 am until 4 pm on Saturday September 29th - it’s a relief sale that makes a difference! For more information, to volunteer, or to donate new or gently used items, contact Wendy Herring at theherrings@shaw.ca  (This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

For the latest updates, visit “Mennonite Fall Fair” on Facebook!

Why Donate ?

GRAINS OF RICE

When people comment on my
knitting for world relief I tell
them that each stitch is a
grain of rice in someone’s belly.
But really, I need to do the math.

Let’s say rice sells for $585 per metric ton
and a pair of baby slippers sells for $3.50.
Someone dependent on a diet of rice needs
400 grams of rice per day, costing $.234.
Fifteen people can eat for about $3.50.

There are 48 grains of rice per gram,
each costing $.0000122. That pair of
baby slippers contains 1428 stitches -
$.00245 earned for each stitch,
201 grains of rice bought per stitch.

So, each stitch is 201 grains of rice in
someone’s belly, and fifteen people
are fed for a day from
one
little
pair of slippers.
Now there’s incentive to keep knitting!

  © 2012  W.M. Herring

Bread Baking

“We have learned to see in bread an instrument of community between men-the flavour of bread shared has no equal.” Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Come help make bread to share! There will be baking bees in the Church kitchen in September to make cinnamon buns for the Fall Fair food court. We need experienced bakers and enthusiastic learners!  Dates will be announced in late August or early September.  Call Wendy at 250-963-9276 for details.

Items Wanted

Baking/ preserves

Start baking early in September – our Bake table usually sells out early! Trays for baked goods will be available at the sign-up tables in September. Chocolate and lemon items always sell well. We cannot accept product containing fish/shellfish/meat, cream/custard/uncooked dairy products or which require refrigeration.   Preserves and pickles must be processed in a hot water canner; pickles and relishes must use undiluted pickling vinegar (7%).  Low acid fruits or vegetables must be pressure canned.  Bring donations to the Civic Centre from 2:00-7:00 pm September 28.

Book Sale

Put aside those Christmas gift books and summer beach reads for the Used Book table. We especially like to have Bibles to give away to those who ask. Share the Word of God with those who need to hear!  Donations drop-off  information will be announced in early September.

Garage Sale

Gently used items in working condition will be happily accepted. We cannot accept large furniture, old ski or computer equipment, safety equipment (e.g. bicycle or hockey helmets) or baby equipment (car seats, cribs, etc.).   Ask yourself, “Would I buy this item?” Donations drop-off  information will be announced in early September.

Gift Baskets

Save extra nice, small items that would be suitable for gift baskets. Items must be new, unused, sealed. Think small baby toys, children’s books, gardening tools, small golf items, candles… Watch for donation information in early September.

Local Crafts

Be creative! We would love to have a wide range of local crafts on our tables this year: knitted dishcloths, jewellery, candles, Christmas tree ornaments, woodwork, sewing, paper crafts, baby items, etc!  Bring donations to the Civic Centre from 2:00-7:00 pm September 28.

Plants and Produce

Grow-A-Row for the Fall Fair! Divide those overgrown perennials! Re-pot your houseplants!   Bring donations to the Civic Centre from 2:00-7:00 pm September 28.

Silent Auction

This is the place for quality used items that are better than garage sale fare and for eye-catching new items like quilts or paintings. Bring donations to the Civic Centre from 2:00-7:00 pm September 28.  Please let Wendy know what you are setting aside at theherrings@shaw.ca so that we can plan appropriately.

Other Items

Bring your plastic shopping bags and clean ice cream pails to the Civic Centre on September 30. Contact Wendy at theherrings@shaw.ca to donate or request new craft supplies during the year – yarn, fabric, buttons, sewing and knitting patterns, etc.