The Portage MCC Thrift Shop is once again gearing up to support the non-profit agencies in Portage la Prairie. They're kicking off their annual Charity Days Initiative at the end of the month, which sees certain days set aside to raise funds and awareness for local non-profit organizations. Manager Kevin Hamm says MCC's mandate is all about supporting charitable initiatives, noting all profit goes to charity. While most of the profit throughout the year goes through the Mennonite Central Committees international relief work, Hamm says they also like to show support for those who make our local area a better place.

"There's a lot of great work being done locally, and these are charities that the board has consented to have a Charity Day for, where we'll promote the charity, work together with them to help promote their work, and at the end we'll give them a sizeable cheque to use as they see fit."

The non-profit organizations apply to be the subject of the Charity Day, and are selected by the MCC's board of directors. Hamm says it's never an easy decision, so the board must choose organizations that match their mandate for charitable work.

"Their job is to take a look at their requests to see what fits well with our mandate and the work we do in the community. For example, coming up we'll be working together with First Presbyterian Soup Kitchen. We share a lot of the same clientele, so we feel a particular closeness to the work we're doing."

He says it's always exciting to work with the local non-profits, in a way that goes beyond just providing some funding. Hamm notes there's no shortage of businesses will to provide support to our community's charitable organizations, but what sets the Charity Days apart is the promotion and exposure for organizations.

"To be able to do a lot of face-to-face with customers, to get 500 people coming through the gift shop on a Tuesday we're having a Charity Day and have that exposure, is really significant, and to be working with our volunteers. We hear back a lot of times from the charity volunteers that they really appreciated this opportunity."

The first Charity Day will be held March 29, and Hamm says they already have a full slate of non-profits in line for this year's Charity Days. However, he notes non-profit organizations can apply to be a part of the initiative at any time.