Relief, development and peace in the name of Christ
Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) shares God's love and compassion for all in the name of Christ by responding to basic human needs and working for peace and justice.
It's been 100 years since we first started responding to basic human needs in southern Russia (present-day Ukraine). Now, we continue to work for relief, development and peace all over the world.
Grow Hope gives Albertans a way to help end world hunger
“This is such an amazing campaign. I loved getting updates from the farm about how my acre was doing." - Cindy Klassen
Here's how it works:
For every $300, an acre of land is sponsored. Farmers will grow this acre and donate the proceeds to MCC's Canadian Foodgrains Bank (CFGB) account. After harvest, this acre could be worth as much as $500, depending on grain prices. That money gets matched by the government up to 4:1. This means the original $300 can turn into as much as $2500!
You can sponsor a full acre, or choose to sponsor a quarter, a half, or multiple acres of Alberta farmland. You can also grow hope with family and friends! Make a Grow Hope giving registry and invite your loved ones and community to help you raise funds to sponsor one or more acres.
100% of proceeds go to help support long-term food security and emergency food aid programs through MCC and CFGB.
Through Grow Hope, you are helping us get one step closer to a world without hunger.
“This is such an amazing campaign. I loved getting updates from the farm about how my acre was doing." - Cindy Klassen (Canadian Olympian)
Last year, the United Nations reported that nearly one in three people did not have access to enough food. And while global food insecurity has been rising since 2014, the estimated increase in 2020 was equal to that of the previous five years combined.
You can help MCC respond to the overwhelming rise in food insecurity through Grow Hope. By sponsoring an acre of Manitoba farmland, your support of MCC food projects multiplies to provide emergency food assistance and long-term food security around the world.
Join us
You can join our community of local growers by sponsoring an acre right now! Is a $350 acre more or less than you can give? We encourage giving multiple or partial acres too. Give to Grow Hope now
Or you can start an online Grow Hope Giving Registry and invite your church, family or friends to amplify your impact! Get started on your Giving Registry or contact us at 204-261-6381 or GrowHope@mccmb.ca for help with setting up your registry.
We'll send you exclusive Grow Hope updates and connect you with the larger Grow Hope community throughout the growing season.
How your support can Grow Hope
As a Grow Hope supporter, you’ll join our community of local growers helping to transform the lives of people like Botiram and Manki in India. For many years this couple farmed a small plot of land, but it was never very fruitful. Deforestation and industrial agriculture made it hard for many families in the region to provide for themselves. Manki says they didn't have enough food to feed their whole family.
Manki (left) and Botiram Kashyap harvest okra on their farm in Kadipara, India. MCC photo/Pabitra Paramanya
“Thanks to these new farming techniques, I see the joy every morning.” - Botiram (farmer in India)
Through the gifts of Grow Hope supporters, MCC provided Botiram and Manki with agricultural training. They learned how to use the natural resources around them and have multiplied their rice and vegetable yields using the techniques that MCC's local partner taught them.
Today, they are able to feed their family and sell the surplus produce to support themselves. "Thanks to these new farming techniques, I see the joy every morning," says Botiram.
For over 30 years, farmers across Canada have been helping end global hunger through Canadian Foodgrains Bank (CFGB) and its member Mennonite Central Committee. Now people who aren’t farmers have a chance to join them by sponsoring an acre through Grow Hope Niagara.
How it works
Larry and Marg Dyck are farmers in Vineland. They have access to a 41-acre field generously made available to CFGB by Bethesda Services to grow a crop and sell it to raise funds to help end hunger. It will cost Larry and Marg about $400 per acre for seed and other inputs. At the end of the growing season, he will sell the crop for about $500 per acre. Acres sponsored for MCC will be donated to MCC’s account at CFGB, for use in projects that help people who don’t have enough to eat.
There’s more! Through the special arrangement with the Government of Canada through the Foodgrains Bank, MCC can get matching funds at up to 4:1. Your donation of $400/acre will grow not only a crop through Grow Hope, but will potentially grow to $1600 or even $2000.
In other words, your gift will grow—both literally, as a crop rises from the ground, and financially, as the crop is sold and matched by the Canadian government.
How can you be a part of Grow Hope? All you need to do is sign up by donating below or by sending a cheque to MCC, 203-50 Kent Ave., Kitchener, ON N2G 3R1 with Grow Hope Niagara on the memo line. Through the growing season, we will send you updates so you can see how “your” crop is doing. In September, if public health restrictions allow, you will also be able to visit the field to see “your” crop!
Through Grow Hope, you can be that light for many people in the world.
If you have questions, please contact Thomas Neufeld at thomasneufeld@mcco.ca or 905-941-0179.
We’re looking forward to partnering with you in growing hope!
Saskatchewan
Rally around local farmers who are growing hope on a global scale.
Funds raised through Grow Hope Saskatchewan help support people around the world with emergency food supplies and long-term food security.
Generous farmers in Saskatchewan agree to grow and donate land to grow a crop for Grow Hope Saskatchewan.
You sponsor the growth of a crop with a donation to help cover the costs of farming. It costs up to $350 per acre to provide seed, fertilizer, fuel and other things needed to grow a crop.
After harvest, farmers sell the crop and donate the proceeds to Canadian Foodgrains Bank. The proceeds from the sale of the crop can be as much as $600 per acre or more. Crop proceeds used to provide emergency food assistance for people living through a crisis may be matched 4:1 through the Canadian Foodgrains Bank’s Partnership with Global Affairs Canada.
