Photo: Over 11,000 donuts were sold at the Virginia Mennonite Relief Sale, held Oct. 2-3, 2015, at the Rockingham County Fairgrounds. The sale raised over $260,000 to support Mennonite Central Committee. Photo by Jim Bishop. 

A week of heavy rain, wind and cool temperatures that continued into the weekend in the central Shenandoah Valley may have lowered attendance but failed to dampen spirits at the 49th Virginia Mennonite Relief Sale held Oct. 2-3 at the Rockingham County Fairgrounds in Harrisonburg, Va..

Preliminary figures indicate this year’s sale raised about $264,021 for the worldwide relief and service program of the Mennonite Central Committee (MCC). Last year’s effort raised $340,200.

“Once all expenses and reports are finalized, we expect that we’ll be able to forward significantly more funds to MCC,” said Dave Rush, relief sale chair of Harrisonburg.

Activities began Friday evening with a barbecued beef dinner, music by local groups and the start of the live and silent auctions. Events ran through Saturday afternoon. Nearly 1,000 volunteers offered their time and talents.

The funds raised included $24,530 from the annual “My Coins Count” (formerly “Penny Power”) project. Each year, area congregations, schools, homes and businesses collect coins and currency in large water jugs for weeks, and then bring their containers to the sale for sorting and tabulating.

This year’s funds will be distributed among MCC and Virginia Mennonite Missions programs: School for Refugees in Cairo, Egypt; Village Altonodji, helping children who are victims of war and AIDS in Moundou, Chad; the Joshua Center, ministering to children in Albania; Maranatha School for the Deaf in Jamaica; and Kids Club, supporting Seth and Theresa Crissman’s work with Harrisonburg area congregations providing programs with community children.

The annual auction of handmade quilts, wall hangings, knotted comforters and afghans, artwork and wooden handcrafted items accounted for $114,213 of the total funds raised, down $8,000 over last year.

The highest bid item at the auction, $4,900, was a Water Lily crocheted bedspread (84,000 stitches) made by the late Janet Pitcoff of New Jersey from 14 miles of white cotton thread. The piece was donated by Suzanne and John Jost of Peoria, Ill.

Another unique auction item was a podium made by local craftsman Jay Moyer from a walnut tree on the property of Joseph Funk (1778-1862), from Singers Glen, Va., that brought $450. Funk was a pioneer American music teacher, publisher and composer who invented a shape note system in 1852 for the “Harmonia Sacra” songbook that is still in use today.

The homemade glazed donut operation got under way at 1 a.m. Saturday, with 11,000 of the confectionary delights sold. Other popular food items included 180 gallons of Brunswick stew made on the premises by members of Springdale Mennonite Church of Waynesboro, Va.; homemade potato chips; caramel popcorn; apple butter; fresh apple cider; barbecued chicken; chili; Laotian and Indian dishes; and homemade chicken, corn and potato soup.

“Despite less than ideal weather, we still had a wonderful time together raising money for MCC,” Rush said. “One of the main reasons I love working with the relief sale every year is that in spite of many differences in the Mennonite church, we can still come together ‘in the name of Christ’ to help people around the world.”