Montreal bakers putting on a bake sale for children in Gaza
A group of Montreal bakers is getting together to put on a bake sale to raise money for children in Gaza.
"I have a three-year-old myself, and I couldn't help but picture him in those situations, and I just felt very helpless," said organizer Tamara Leisser. "I just felt like I needed to do something to be of use in some small way."
The bake sale is set for Saturday afternoon at the Moving Just Fine Pilates studio in Saint-Henri.
Anyone wanting to attend must register at the event's GoFundMe page.
"When you donate, leave a comment saying that you will attend," Leisser explains.
The bakers are asking for a minimum donation of $55 to fill up a box with local goodies.
All the proceeds will go to the Palestine Children's Relief Fund (PCRF), which provides free medical and humanitarian aid to children in the Middle East.
The organization is a registered nonprofit organization founded in 1991.
"I want people to, even if they can't attend, please donate," Leisser tells CTV News. "It's not going through me at all. It goes directly to them [the PCRF]. So, even if you can't attend, even if you don't live in Montreal, just donate and it will hopefully do some good."
Though Leisser admits that it's difficult to keep politics away from such a sensitive issue, her hope is to keep the bake sale apolitical.
"We want to help children who are suffering," she said pointedly. "We do have some bakers who are contributing but who didn't want their bakeries mentioned, and I totally understand that."
Leisser adds with Mother's Day around the corner, the fundraiser is also a way for people to pick up a few sweet treats for their families.
"A lot of this has to do with the fact that I am a mother," she explains. "I don't think you need to be a mother to be able to sympathize with what's going on in Gaza, but people will be buying treats anyway to celebrate their mothers."
Leisser says that so far, more than 90 boxes have been reserved.
Any desserts left over at the end of the bake sale will be donated to Chez Doris.
"There are people who are donating who will not be picking up their boxes and want them to go directly to Chez Doris," she said. "Hopefully, it will be fun. It's a tragic thing that's going on, but we're hoping that this bake sale will not feel too tragic."
The bake sale is slated for Saturday, May 11, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Moving Just Fine Pilates studio (642 de Courcelle St., unit 305.)
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