My name is Erin Dorf from Atlanta, GA. I'm a fourth-generation American wool trader, a wife, and a mother.

Like all of you, I have felt a lot of things watching the devastation unfold in Israel and Gaza over the past week—abject horror, profound sorrow, and helplessness at the reality of yet another global conflict that will inevitably destroy innocent lives. It was that last one, that feeling of helplessness, that spurred Alex and me to put our heads together and think how we could use the resources available to us to offer more than “thoughts and prayers” this time.

A lot of my day job involves moving ocean freight internationally. A lot of my work contacts make American wool socks and blankets. It didn’t take us long to connect the dots and begin working on a plan to send a shipping container full of these items to Israel. After a few late-night WhatsApp messages to friends currently on the ground in Israel, and a few more emails to some key supply chain partners here in the United States, we are raising funds to cover the purchase of socks and blankets directly from their respective manufacturers, as well as the cost of shipping the goods and clearing customs.

If you are in a position to contribute, even a small amount will help. $5 buys a pair of socks. $100 buys a box of 12 blankets. Every dollar donated will go toward this effort--if we exceed our original goal, we will send more containers.

Feel free to pass this along to anyone else currently feeling helpless and looking for some way to make an impact. We will share updates as we have them.

Thank you all,

Erin & Alex