Mennonite Weekly Review

PETITCODIAC, New Brunswick — As Erica van Velsen and Cara Rempel set up Ten Thousand Villages displays, they see more than the beauty of the hand-crafted items they so carefully handle.

Volunteers Erica van Velsen and Cara Rempel try on scarves in a Ten Thousand Villages display. The young Canadians are helping out at the Atlantic Festival Sales held each fall in the Atlantic provinces. The 40 sales are organized by Petitcodiac Mennonite Church in New Brunswick. — Photo by Nina Linton/MCC Canada

For example, the young volunteers see the artistic skills need-ed to design the silk screening stencils used in coloring the elegant scarves and the technical skills needed to make the colorful dyes.

They also see the cooperation of talented artisans working together to provide a stable income for their families. They recognize that by volunteering for Ten Thousand Villages they are helping artisan groups in many countries earn fair income for their work.

Rempel and van Velsen are helping out at the Atlantic Festival Sales held each fall in Atlantic Canada. The 40 sales are organized by Petitcodiac Mennonite Church.

“Working here gives me a wider outlook on life,” said Rempel, 18, of Winnipeg, Man. “Every Tuesday we learn about one product and how it is made. The stories are very inspirational. All the stories show how much hard work went into making these products. It makes me feel that I’m part of it.”

Van Velsen, 21, of Waterloo, Ont., said it is fascinating to learn more about these products and how they are made.

“It gives you a greater awareness of all the artisans out there and the care they take to make each item,” she said.

The women are the youngest volunteers in Mennonite Central Committee’s Service Opportunities for Older People, a program for people of all ages. Rempel is filling the position for five weeks and van Velsen for six.

The Atlantic Festival Sales are hosted by local churches in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador.

Most of the sales take place from September to December, when SOOP volunteers assist local volunteers with receiving items in the warehouse, transporting products to the sales, setting up displays, selling the products and preparing for the next sale.