Manitobans donate $231,000 to relief efforts after Beirut explosion

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This article was published 11/09/2020 (2234 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

MANITOBANS responded generously to help victims of the Aug. 4 Beirut explosion, donating $231,000 to three relief agencies headquartered in Winnipeg.

The money was donated during the Aug. 8-24 window for the federal government’s $8-million Lebanon Matching Fund.

Of that total, $143,000 was donated by people in the province to Canadian Foodgrains Bank, $77,000 was donated to Mennonite Central Committee and $11,000 was given to Canadian Lutheran World Relief.

Altogether, the three agencies received $941,000 from people across Canada. With matching funds from the federal government, that will provide $1.8 million for their work in the devastated Mideast nation.

“We’re grateful for the generous response of Manitobans, all Canadians and the Canadian government,” said Foodgrains Bank interim executive director Jim Cornelius.

“When the explosion destroyed Lebanon’s main port where the country imported most of their food, as well as the grain silos estimated to hold 85 per cent of the country’s grain stocks, we were concerned about the number of families who would face hunger. Now, thanks to this generosity, our partners on the ground can ensure families have the food they need to survive and recover from this devastating explosion.”

Through its members, the Foodgrains Bank will use the funds to provide monthly food packages, including rice, beans, lentils and canned meat, for one year to 1,000 families, a total of 5,000 people.

For Karin Achtelstetter, executive director of CLWR, the response shows Canadians are compassionate and generous, “even when we’re facing our own challenges” during the pandemic.

“Thanks to the generosity of Canadians, life-saving support is already reaching those who need it most,” she said, noting the agency is responding through local partners in Lebanon by providing urgently needed water, sanitation and hygiene assistance.

The agency is also providing legal, medical and psychosocial support for women and children affected by the explosion. They are also helping families who lost their income sources due to the blast recover and re-establish their livelihoods.

MCC Manitoba executive director Darryl Loewen said the organization’s initial response is helping 300 families in Beirut. MCC plans to expand its aid to provide assistance to 1,000 households close to the site of the explosion.

As well, two containers of relief supplies are already on their way to Lebanon, Loewen said, containing basic health and hygiene supplies.

“We are grateful for the response of donors,” he said, adding the response during the pandemic has been good.

Altogether, Canadians donated $9.9 million to Beirut relief during the match period through the Humanitarian Coalition, which counts the Foodgrains Bank, MCC and CLWR among its 12 members.

Together with the government’s $8-million match, a total of $17.9 million is available for Beirut relief through the Coalition.

“We are all overwhelmed by the generosity of Canadians,” said Marg Buchanan, communications and marketing manager for the coalition.

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