It was raining hard, but nobody was unhappy as they pulled into Walter and Peggy Wiebe’s farmyard near Osler, Sask. on June 20, 2015, for the 35th annual Saskatchewan Valley Auction for Canadian Foodgrains Bank.
“It’s a million dollar rain,” said Bill Wiebe, one of the Auction’s organizers as he watched the rain fall from the shelter of the auction tent.
“We’ve had hardly any rain at all the last two months. This will help a lot of farmers.”
The rain certainly didn’t keep people from coming; it wasn’t long before the parking lot was filling up, and the lines for breakfast in the machine shed grew long—pancakes and farmer’s sausage.
Following a short devotional and prayer, it was time for the auction: everything from furniture, plants, toys, and blankets to farm implements, cattle and various agriculture products and services.
While the auction was in action, Tina Unruh, one of the co-founders of the sale, shared her recollections about its beginnings. It was back in 1980 that she and her husband, Dave, and their friends Corny and Ann Derksen came up with the idea for an auction to raise money for Mennonite Central Committee’s (MCC) programs that address hunger in the world.
They were moved by the plight of people who were starving in India and Africa, she said, and sad to see grain sitting unsold and unwanted in their fields.
“We also heard in church that there was need,” she said. “We took it seriously.”
They were thrilled with the results of the first sale, which raised $15,000. “We didn’t know how it would turn out,” Tina said. “It was so much fun.”
After the Foodgrains Bank was created in 1983, they decided to support the work of MCC through it. Since that time, the auction has raised about $3 million for MCC’s food and hunger programs through the Foodgrains Bank.
The most recent auction raised $150,000, including donations.
The auction would not be possible without the efforts of volunteers, both younger and older, who come from five local Mennonite churches: The Osler Mission Chapel, Osler Mennonite Church, Neuanlage Mennonite Church, the Bergthaler Mennonite Church and the Osler Old Colony Church.
Two of those volunteers are John and Helena Enns. “It’s such a blessing to be part of the auction,” says John, who serves as treasurer.
Why are they involved? “It’s an opportunity give to help others,” he says. “It’s a privilege to be part of this, to make a small difference in someone else’s life.”
Last year the couple went to Ethiopia on a Foodgrains Bank study tour to see how the money they raised is used.
“We saw that what we do makes a difference,” said John.
Looking back on the past 35 years, and all the money the auction has raised, Tina is amazed. “We never imagined it would turn out like this,” she says. “We give God the glory.”
Four generations supporting the Foodgrains Bank through the June 20 Osler, Sask. Auction. (L-R) Grandchildren Marcy Ziolkowski, Kianna Regush, grandmother Edna Hays, great-grandmother Bertha Fehr, and mother Rebecca Ziolkowski. (Photo by John Longhurst)
Add new comment
Canadian Mennonite invites comments and encourages constructive discussion about our content. Actual full names (first and last) are required. Comments are moderated and may be edited. They will not appear online until approved and will be posted during business hours. Some comments may be reproduced in print.