Blessing Bids 2023 | Northern Michigan Relief Sale

Each year we have Blessing Bids at the Northern Michigan Relief Sale. Blessing Bids are pretty much what it sounds like. You bid as a donation to MCC for a specific purpose to help, in tangible ways, people in need in other parts of the world. You give a blessing to these people through your generosity. You do not receive an item. You get a blessing by helping others. Those in the crowd have remarked that they also get a blessing by observing and feeling the love and caring going out into the world. The Blessing Bids are taken two times during the auction. Different opportunities are offered each time. The office will also take bids if you wish to go to them directly.

The morning Blessing Bids this year are:

Emergency Food Package – $50 – MCC has worked in Ukraine since beginning in 1920, opening soup kitchens to provide relief to thousands of starving families. Following the Russian invasion, MCC’s emergency response has helped provide shelter, meals, and daily supplies for people fleeing the fighting.
Plant a Garden – $35 – MCC teaches people how to stay in their local villages rather than move to other areas to get food for their families. Through MCC they learn about health, nutrition, planting and watering their own gardens, creating fertilizer, and how to save seeds for the following year.
Clean Water at Home -$100 – Join MCC to provide clean water for families who don’t have a safe, reliable water supply. Your gift will help to pipe water from mountain springs to homes in rural, mountainous areas of Nepal. Many children in nearby communities still do not have a water tap to use in their homes. Your gift would help families gain easy access to clean water all year long. $48 would provide a drinking water tap for one family.

The Afternoon Blessing Bids are:

Give a Goat in Lebanon – $50 –The gift of a goat can bless a family in need. Goats are adaptable and easy to raise, even in small spaces, and they are a crucial (and much loved) asset for struggling families in Lebanon. Recipients also learn about care, pen construction, and production and marketing of dairy products.
Care for Refugees – Ecuador- Quito Mennonite Church supports local refugee and migrant families by providing all kinds of assistance, including food, medical support, hygiene items, stoves, and blankets. $40 provides rental assistance for one family. $150 covers the monthly cost of diapers and baby items for refugee families. $200 covers the monthly cost of mattresses and blankets for refugee families.
Clean Water at Home – Bolivia – $100 – In Bolivia water shortages are a real threat. Your gift will help pipe spring water from the mountains for household use and irrigation. This helps protect water sources and land while reducing the need for people to migrate away from their homes.
Nutrition for Babies – Nepal -$25- Your gift will boost nutrition for babies in rural Nepal, where malnutrition is common. Mothers learn about food groups and making a “super porridge” from corn wheat and soybean flours.

Look at the abundance that we have in our lives. How can we not help those less fortunate, no matter where they live. Consider what you can do to help relieve suffering by joining in with a blessing bid. Thanks in advance for thinking of others.