We are a volunteer collective of artists and creatives encouraging microdonations for 25 families in Gaza. Subscribe for updates on our work, ways to participate, and new art.
This community brings tears to my eyes
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Hi Reader, Coffees for Gaza has brought (the good kind of) tears to my eyes so many times the past few weeks. The generosity, hope, and resilience of our families, our volunteers, and our donors has been so clear, especially recently. First, we want to offer a huge THANK YOU to everyone who participated in our 2nd annual Peacetober auction, whether as an artist who donated your work or as a bidder (or for many of you who participated in both these ways!) Because of you, we were able to raise just under $8,000 USD for the 25 family campaigns that we are committed to assisting! Our families are receiving these funds at a time when warm winter clothes, blankets, tent repairs, and nutritious food are urgently needed. If you had the winning bid on an auction item, you should have received an email in the past week from one of our volunteers with instructions on how to claim your item. Didn't see it? Check your spam folder. If you still can't find the email, reply to me and I'll check into it. Important changes our monthly donation program I have more good news to share below, but first I want to let you know about important changes to our monthly donation program. For 18 months, Coffees for Gaza superstar volunteer Billy Ruffian has managed our monthly giving community (first on Patreon, and more recently on Open Collective.) Collecting donations and allocating them among urgent needs families has taken up a huge amount of time for Billy and the other handful of volunteers who help with this task. Money collected on Open Collective also is counted for tax purposes as Billy's income since Coffees for Gaza is not an official non-profit/NGO, even though all the funds are sent back out to our families. Volunteers have tried to find a NGO that was willing to fiscally sponsor Coffees for Gaza, but right now direct transfers of money to people in Gaza are too risky for them to take on. For all these reasons, it's clear that it's time for Coffees for Gaza to change our monthly donation program to take the time and tax burden off of Billy and other core volunteers. If you currently have an Open Collective monthly subscription, or if you are interested in providing one of our families with a monthly donation, please fill out this Family Sponsorship form. We will match you with a family whose fundraising campaign (i.e. GoFundMe, Chuffed, etc) is carried out in your local currency, along with instructions about how to set up a monthly gift directly to their campaign. Thank you for your flexibility as we make this shift, which we hope will make our work more sustainable both for our volunteers and our families.
Good news from Nour and Mona's families When we talk about the generosity of Coffees for Gaza participants, that includes our families! Time and time again, they share their limited financial resources and their amazing talents with others. Chef Mona Zahed's has said that the cookbook she wrote from her tent Tabkha: Recipes from Under the Rubble has changed her life. Illustrated by 21 Coffees for Gaza artist friends, this moving and delicious book has sold out multiple print runs. Now Mona is using the royalties from Tabkha to change the lives of children in her community. She has started a school named Basmat Amal, which means "signs of hope." On-going purchases of Tabkha will be crucial to the school's success. In more good news, Nour Ferwana just announced that she will be co-authoring a book of Palestinian folktales titled Under the Olive Moon. Her co-author is Maria Isabel Sanchez Fegara, who writes the popular picture book series Little People, Big Dreams. On Instagram, Nour shared this: "These stories carry our grandparents’ voices, our children’s dreams, and the soul of a land that never stops hoping. This book is not just pages it’s memory, courage, and a love letter to Palestine. Thank you to everyone who believed in me when all I had was a story and a prayer. I can’t wait for you to read it, share it, and keep our tales alive." The book will be published in October 2026, and we'll keep you posted when pre-orders are available! Come craft with us on December 2nd We had so much fun during our Peacetober knit-along and stitch-along sessions that we've decided to have regular opportunities for folks to craft together online. You're invited to a Coffee and Craft session on Tuesday, December 2nd. This is an "open studio" time, where you can bring any project you're working on, while we share in conversation and community. There's no charge to attend, but you need to register to receive the online meeting link. Coffee and Craft
With love and solidarity, Rebekah Gienapp and the Coffees for Gaza team Invite a friend to subscribe | Coffees for Gaza on Instagram | Family Sponsor Program |
Coffees for Gaza
We are a volunteer collective of artists and creatives encouraging microdonations for 25 families in Gaza. Subscribe for updates on our work, ways to participate, and new art.
Hi Reader, When I first "met" Nourhan's family, it was through an Instagram video of her daughter Najat, then 4 years old, enthusiastically cooking in their tent. She had such a sweet and hopeful spirit, despite all the trauma that she, her mother, and her little brother Mohammed had been through. Over the last two years, I've lost count of how many times Nourhan and her children were displaced. They had several brushes with violence that were incredibly close calls. Through it all, Nourhan...
Hi Reader, Often in our newsletter I share with you the hardships that our families are facing in Gaza. Those hardships are still very much present, but today I want to offer a roundup of good news from our families and volunteers. Together, as a collective, we are making an impact. Take a moment to celebrate with us the following good news! Welcome baby Rayan! 👶🏽Oday and Rawan recently welcomed their second child, baby Rayan, into the world! Mom, Dad, and big brother Yaman are so proud. If...
Hi Reader, Today I'd like to tell you more about one of our 25 families: Fadi, his wife Alaa, and their three daughters: Danya (age 13), Kinda (age 10), and Leen (age 7.) Fadi and Alaa often call the girls their "flowers." The family's original home is in Gaza City, and it was destroyed in the early days of the war. Fadi worked for a large bank as a International Investment Consultant. Before the genocide began, Alaa was hoping to open a shop. During the war, they were displaced multiple...