The New Hamburg Mennonite Relief Sale’s annual quilt auction is back on Saturday and chair John Reimer is excited to see where people will be placing their bids from now that the decades-old auction is also conducted online.
For more than five decades, the New Hamburg Mennonite Relief Sale has boasted handmade quilts for auction to raise money for the Mennonite Central Committee’s global humanitarian efforts.
The annual auction went virtual during the pandemic and it showed organizers how far this Ontario township’s relief sale can reach.
“We are finding our reach is becoming more than the Region of Waterloo,” Reimer said. “We had to ship our quilts out to Great Britain and we thought, how do we even do this?”
The online auction is now a permanent fixture and bids for quilts will be accepted in person and online this year.
Quilting a Mennonite tradition
Handmade quilts in stunning colours and patterns were donated to the relief sale by individual quilters as well as quilting circles. Some quilts are made from scraps and donated fabric featuring traditional geometric designs and whimsical patterns. They range in size from lap quilts to bed quilts.
Quilting is a Mennonite tradition that can be taken for granted in the Waterloo region because of how familiar people here are with the Mennonite community, Reimer said.
He was pleased to see appreciation for Mennonite handiwork from as far as the California and the U.K., and much higher bids than he was used to seeing.
“It is exciting to see the quality of our products, the creativity, the colours, the work, they appreciate it so much,” Reimer said.
Many items will be available for auction during the sale, including outdoor equipment, furniture, collectibles and sporting goods, but the quilt auction is what draws the crowds to the New Hamburg Fairgrounds every spring.
“The quilt auction is the centrepiece of the sale,” Reimer said.
He said 2,000 donated quilts are up for auction this year. Quilts can be previewed in person Friday night and the auction begins at 7 a.m. Saturday. There is also a quilt catalogue available online on the event’s website.
He said this year, they hope to raise $300,000 for the Mennonite Central Committee’s humanitarian efforts. The organization is currently focused on providing aid in Ukraine.
Reimer said the New Hamburg Mennonite Relief Sale has contributed close to $16 million to the MCC during its 57-year history.
“People know that what they’re spending is going to a good cause. It’s a win win,” Reimer said.