Hot Cocoa for Gaza Holiday Drive

Happy Holidays to you and your family!!

My name is Dalia Salloum and I am a Palestinian American educator living here in Salt Lake City, Utah. I have deep love for both my Utah family and my Palestinian family. I have been working with many community members here in Utah to help raise funds for direct aid to families and friends in Gaza. We initially started these efforts to evacuate people when the genocide began last October. We successfully helped evacuate a few families; some have even made it to safety right here in the Salt Lake Valley!

Since then, the borders have been closed, and thousands have been displaced, living in the most unimaginable conditions. Many children are starving. There is a small collective of us here boosting our efforts this holiday season and encouraging our fellow Utahns, YOU, to help us reach a goal of $25,000 to split between several families. With our hearts in our hands, we ask you to reach into your pockets (and phones) and donate at least the amount you would spend on a hot cocoa while you shop for gifts and items for the holidays.

We spend so much money on creature comforts here in the United States, we spend on gifts, and we spend on supplies to survive. Can we spend just a little more to feed hungry children and their families?

Your donations will help our sponsored families buy much needed items such as flour, bread, milk, diapers, clean water, blankets, winter clothes, and other necessities that have become very expensive with the lack of availability due to blocking of aide.

All of our families are in direct communication with community members here in the Salt Lake Valley and Utah Valley. Funds raised go directly to these families by various transfer methods such as PayPal, Western Union, and direct bank transfers. Your donations will reach people in Gaza directly!

Every little bit helps!

Merry and bright.

Here are some photos of the specific families we’ve been working with over the last year:

1. Ghanim Family: Hanin Ghanim has been an invaluable resource throughout the last year. When evacuations were still a possibility, she helped us figure out the safest and most secure ways to transfer funds globally. Hanin and her family are currently displaced living in a partially demolished building in Khan Younis in the South of Gaza. They are currently in need of funds to pay for food and daily neccessities. She shared that she recently had her first apple in over a year, and it costed 5 dollars!

2. Al-Sabakhi Family: Abdul Majid, pictured here, is 20 years old and he did NOT look like this at the start of the war. As you can see, he is currently on the brink of starvation due to the lack of resources. He and his family were trying to evacuate, and like many other, were unable to due to the closing of all the borders. Abdul was unable receive a medical evacuation as he is over 18 years old. Abdul's family is currently in direct communication with our local hero, Sireena Bseiso, who escaped from Gaza with her 11 year old son and mother. Many people here in Utah know Sireena and her family well, they are always working tirelessly to help their family and friends survive this nightmare in Gaza. Sireena says the funds delivered now (and there is DIRE need here) are required to prepare for the winter months. Tarps, tent supplies, blankets, heating sources, are all much needed for this family to survive.

… We are actively working with local organizers to assess where the most need is. This list of families is still in progress and we hope to add more if YOUR generosity allows.