Two hundred people gathered in Yellowknife on Saturday night to enjoy a meal of chicken musakhan, hummus, falafel and other Palestinian delicacies.
Volunteers prepared and served the food at the Taste of Palestine fundraising dinner and auction at William McDonald Middle School. Organizer Amy Lam said the event raised a total of $11,115 that will go directly to families in Gaza with ties to the Northwest Territories.
“We definitely deemed it a pretty successful night,” she said.
Lam said Mona Aida has been spearheading efforts to support families in Gaza and it was “a big community effort” to put on the fundraiser. She said Aida gathered 13 of her friends to cook, the school offered space, Independent owner Rochdi Mortada and Main Street Donair and Falafel donated food, and Ecology North provided dishes.
“Yellowknife is very generous,” Lam said.
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“We just wanted every single dollar possible to go to the families in Gaza.”
Lam added while the auction originally had five items, people began donating more goods on Saturday night, including taking off the jewellery they were wearing. She said that included former premier Caroline Cochrane, who donated her earrings.
“People really got into it because they just saw the power of what the community can get together and how much money we could actually raise,” Lam said.
“It’s just one of those fun events where you’re kind-of showing up each other within the community to support a good cause.”
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YK Citizens for Ceasefire, which has organized marches and rallies in Yellowknife among other efforts, has posted profiles online of the family members being supported.
That includes young Youssef Fayyad, who the group said has been in need of shoes for months; Sama, Lama and Anass, who lost their home and all of their belongings; and seven-year-old Jamal Joud, known as “the little Einstein of Gaza.”
Lam said fundraising efforts will help families buy basic necessities such as food and diapers.
“The situation in Gaza has been extremely, extremely difficult and catastrophic,” she said. “It’s a situation where there are limited resources and aid is not actually getting in. What little aid is getting in, it’s not reaching everyone.”
Lam added people in Gaza have been without work for months since the recent conflict began, many have lost their homes and belongings, and prices at local markets have become “astronomical.”
The group is now organizing a benefit concert at Yellowknife’s Top Knight on Friday and an online auction from June 15-23 to raise funds for the families.
Correction: June 11, 2024 – 13:42 MT. This article previously stated the dinner had raised $11,115 and the auction $2,357 with the event raising a total of more than $13,000. In fact, the event raised $11,115 with the auction accounting for $2,357 of that total.
