One of our dear Humboldt community members and fellow activists, Pat, will be leaving for Gaza at the end of January to volunteer with GODA, Gift of Disability Alleviation. She will be flying 20+ hours to Jordan, where she will make her way to Gaza to spend two weeks as a nurse.

Pat describes herself as having a bleeding heart, glad to take her more than 40 years of nursing experience to a place where she can make an impact, educating other nurses on clinical practices and infection control, among other things.

In her words, " I have donated to the Palestinian cause, and went to protests, rallies... I am a member of Taxpayers Against Genocide, Jewish Voices for Peace, Veterans for Peace, Code Pink... but I don't feel like I have done enough. I want to give something meaningful; it is incredibly fulfilling when you give a part of yourself. It almost feels effortless... I am a single mom, so was never able to volunteer until my son left home, for I have no living family. I started during COVID where I worked for the state, then with CalFresh, then a free clinic that traveled across CA."

We are expecting the flight and travel to cost about $2,000, and included a little extra to account for GoFundMe's transaction fees. In preparation for the journey, she has already purchased a sleeping bag and a water filter, and is stocking up on extra food to supplement the one meal she is allotted per day. We hope to alleviate some of the stress of funding the trip so that she can focus on preparing and doing the best work she can when she is in Gaza.

Anything you can give helps. Shukran!