Donations will support the delivery of food and medical aid in Beirut, and a food relief program in the Bekaa Valley

TORONTO, Aug. 7, 2020 /CNW/ - IDRF (International Development & Relief Foundation) is accepting donations in relief of people in Lebanon devastated by the massive explosion in the Port of Beirut. The funds will be used to purchase and deliver food and medical aid in Beirut, and to increase support for an existing IDRF food program in the Bekaa Valley of Lebanon where many people are relocating due to a housing shortage in Beirut.

Donations to support these efforts can be made on the IDRF website at: https://idrf.com/lebanon/. Tax receipts will be issued for all donations.

The massive explosion in the Port of Beirut on Tuesday, August 4 has left thousands of people injured or dead, and many more without habitable housing or access to basic supplies including food. In addition, there is a desperate need for medical supplies in Beirut.

"The devastation caused in Beirut by the explosion and its impact on so many people is heartbreaking," said Mariam Hamaoui, who works at IDRF and is a Lebanese Canadian with relatives in Beirut. "My 17-year old cousin Omar was riding his bicycle in the downtown area of Beirut when the explosion occurred at the nearby port. The explosion threw him off his bike and injured his foot. He was so frightened that he got up and started running until his parents, who were out searching for him, found him an hour later. We were worried sick about Omar."

Mariam's relatives in Beirut, which include her grandmother and cousins, were not seriously injured by the explosion, but they have seen first-hand the devastation and suffering it is causing.

"There is a desperate need for international aid," she said. "Food and medical aid are urgently needed."

As a result, IDRF is working with local charitable partners in Lebanon to secure and deliver first aid support and food parcels for those most in need in the Beirut area. And in the Bekaa Valley, where it has operated a food support program for more than five years, it is expanding efforts to provide families with food parcels that contain staples such as rice, bulgur, lentils, chickpeas, olive and vegetable oil, sugar, salt, tea, and more.

"Due to our existing program in the Bekaa Valley and our local partners on the ground in Lebanon and throughout the region, IDRF is in an ideal position to help people who are most in need," said Mahmood Qasim, CEO of IDRF. "We have regional suppliers for food and medicine, and can quickly and efficiently get supplies where they are most needed."

About IDRF:
IDRF is a Canadian registered charitable organization dedicated to empowering disadvantaged people in Canada and around the world. Founded in 1984, IDRF has an enviable reputation as one of Canada's best-run charities and has been recognized by third-party organizations such as the Financial Post and MoneySense for its effectiveness, efficiency, and results.  Find out more about IDRF's work in its Annual Report, and follow them on Facebook, Instagram  and LinkedIn.

SOURCE International Development and Relief Foundation

View original content to download multimedia: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/August2020/07/c9537.html