As a non-political affiliated and nonreligious NGO that is committed to fighting and reducing hunger and poverty, we are carrying on our mission by distributing food and food-related packages as well as non-food items to people in need. This is how all of this began...
We started our first initiative on Christmas 2011 by creating a group on Facebook - Christmas 2011 In Zgharta - to fundraise mon
ey to provide food packs for 100 families. The donations received exceeded by far our expectations and we were able to do additional projects in the course of the year with the surplus. Projects done in 2011 from Christmas donations were:
• Distributing food items for 102 families
• Preparing a Christmas dinner for 7 families
• Christmas party for more than 100 children
• Distributing Christmas gifts for the 100 children
The selection of the beneficiaries was excellent and we attended personally to the distribution to make sure no help went to the wrong persons. In addition, the selection was not based on any political nor religious affiliation. The selection was based on the neediest persons. The success of the project won us, in a record time, the trust of both the local community and donors. As winter got colder we started receiving SOS calls from the local church, local community and different entities asking for our help to provide heating materials. In answering their calls and with the excess of donations, we were able to provide the following:
• Distributing Non-food Items (NFI) such as blankets for 90 families and elderly
• Providing Blankets, fans, and an air conditioner/heater for the nursery home for the elderly in the village of Kferyachit
• Sponsoring a summer camp for 50 children
At the beginning, we thought that the positive donors’ reaction to help was spontaneous and we were hesitant to redo the project for 2012. With the encouragement of friends and donors calling, we started "Christmas 2012" project using the same Facebook group "Christmas 2011 in Zgharta" but we labeled the project as "Food From the Heart". The project involved 112 elderly and 20 families. The portion offered was almost twice as 2011 and the cost was of course, doubled. To our surprise, money kept flowing. The project was more than a success and we still have some money left over that we are using, as on 2011, for other projects. Some of this left over has already been spent on:
• Christmas party for 70 children.
• Christmas gifts for 70 children.
• Preparing a Christmas dinner for 13 families.
• Distributing Non-food Items (NFI) such as blankets.
• Providing Blankets, pillows, and kitchen utensils for the nursery home for the elderly in the village of Kferyachit.
• Distributing blankets for the prisons of Zgharta and El-Kobbeh, Tripoli. During our distribution courses, the level of poverty shocked us. These people were barely surviving. Any lack of what little they had meant their death. This happened a couple of years back when an old man died from cold. This and all the positive support motivated us to start considering doing such activities on a continuous basis and this is where the idea of "Gestures From The Heart" emerged. Most of the people that followed us and works with us on the projects were very much interested in joining the NGO and ready to provide all the needed help and support. Thus we got a generous donation that allowed us to make a project for Easter. This donation provided 100 food packs and Easter cookies (Maamoul) for 100 families. During summer time and since our elderly are living between Zgharta and Ehden we thought that a day out is the perfect project to be done. A day from the heart provided a buses transportation, and a beautiful lunch for 115 elderly. Not to forget to mention the mass we all attended. Between all the projects and with the excess of money we used to help the elderly by providing them medicines, new furniture in order to replace the broken ones and of course food. Although ‘Gestures From the Heart’ project was still unable to provide support for larger communities, it was able to provide hope where hope was lost and lift peoples’ heart up. It brought joy into a world of sadness, light where darkness reigns, warmth where it was consistently cold, and dignity where people are ashamed from their poorness and hiding with the confinement of their leaking and shy homes. In August 2013 "Gestures From The Heart" was registered at the Ministry of Interior under the decree number 1452.
