52^nd ILLINOIS MENNONITE RELIEF SALE

MARCH 19-20, 2010

INTERSTATE CENTER, BLOOMINGTON

THANK YOU & WELCOME TO OUR 52^nd RELIEF SALE

The 51^st Annual Illinois Mennonite Relief Sale is now history! Our 2009 theme of "Caring . . . in the Name of Christ" was beautifully demonstrated on March 20-21, 2009.

At this time the Illinois Mennonite Relief Sale Board wishes to express special thanks to God and to all those attending, participating, and dedicating so much time, talent, and money to this church ministry and outreach. Again this year the Sale Board deeply appreciates the tremendous support and enthusiasm of everyone involved.

Because of God's blessings and the hard work of many our 2009 Relief Sale was very successful. Some interesting preliminary figures are:

Grand Auction	$104,660.00
Chicken/Fish Dinners	$18,740.00
Pancake/Sausage Breakfasts	$21,732.00

For your information all of these figures are higher than the previous year. Totals for other areas are not yet calculated, and all bills have not yet been submitted; consequently, final figures are not available at this time.

Each year eighty percent of the net proceeds from this family fare event are channeled through Mennonite Central Committee (MCC), a national relief and service agency located in Akron, Pennsylvania. MCC has over 1,000 volunteers working in 54 countries of the world.

Twenty percent of the Illinois Relief Sale net income is used locally by grassroots volunteers to provide food for the needy in Central Illinois. Some of the agencies receiving funds are the Salvation Army in Peoria, Bloomington, Pekin, & Pontiac, the Midwest Food Bank in both Peoria & Bloomington, Peoria Rescue Mission, Bloomington Center of Hope, many food pantries, and others.

To God we give the glory for helping us annually with our Relief Sale ministry. Our Illinois Sale Board requests your continued prayers for MCC, the recipients of the funds, and our Illinois Relief Sale Board as they complete all duties needing to be accomplished after the Sale.

Please mark your calendar for the 52^nd Illinois Mennonite Relief Sale scheduled for March 19-20, 2010. Please join us in reaching out with God's love to touch the hungry and homeless during these challenging economic times. We deeply appreciate everyone's willingness to help care for the less fortunate so, together, we can make a significant impact on needy families in our world.

Again thank you so much and may God richly bless you!

In His Service,

Donald F. Roth, Sale Co-Chairman