Lebanese Solidarity Initiatives Help Support Displaced People
Since Israeli strikes on Lebanon have intensified, Lebanese individuals and groups have come together to provide food and shelter to the 1.2 million people displaced from their homes
[Beirut] Samir’s first visit to the Nation Station volunteer hub in Beirut was to learn Sri Lankan cooking from foreign workers. Born to a Lebanese father and a Filipino mother, Samir has long been involved in Lebanon’s foreign domestic worker community. During that visit, he was impressed by the initiative to transform an abandoned gas station into a community kitchen. With Lebanon’s crisis deepening and Nation Station expanding its efforts, his appreciation for the project has only grown.
“It is like an orchestra,” Samir told The Media Line as he watched 15 Nation Station volunteers prepare and pack food into large cardboard boxes. These boxes are distributed to hundreds of families displaced across Lebanon due to Israeli military operations.
Nation Station was established in 2020 in response to the humanitarian crisis caused by the Beirut Port explosion, which occurred less than a mile from the site. The blast killed 220 people, injured 7,000, and left 300,000 homeless. Six friends transformed the abandoned gas station into a hub for humanitarian efforts and volunteering.
“Since the port explosion in 2020, we’ve distributed around 1,000 meals a week to those in need and organized film screenings, music festivals, and cooking classes as part of our community center,” Jenny Tahebo, one of Nation Station’s six founders, told The Media Line.
Mehyo el Jawhary started Nation Station’s volunteer program to make thousands of meals for people displaced by Israeli airstrikes. (Sally Hayden/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
The current war with Israel has forced Nation Station to expand its operations. “Since the war began and people were displaced, we have been distributing around 3,000 meals daily, with 120 volunteers working seven days a week, 12 hours a day,” Tahebo said.
Tahebo was not surprised by the outpouring of volunteer support in response to Israeli strikes that have displaced approximately 1.2 million people. “We are already immune to this,” she said. “We know what to do in an emergency.”
We are already immune to this. We know what to do in an emergency.
Samir has since joined Nation Station’s team of volunteers. One of his best friends, a head chef at the station, described how operations had shifted to address the crisis. Upon hearing this, Samir didn’t hesitate to join.
I’m not going to stay home and do nothing
“I’m not going to stay home and do nothing,” he said.
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As Israeli strikes continue to pound Lebanon, Samir wants to feel useful. During the day, he works at the American University of Beirut Medical Center providing trauma response and initial care to medical personnel. Since the Israeli bombardment started, his work has moved online. That is why he now volunteers in the kitchen every evening and weekend.
“I know what they’re doing is for a good cause, and there’s no question about who will receive all this food,” he said. Each day, the station’s 3,000 meals are delivered to over a dozen schools sheltering displaced people.
Samir is one of many Lebanese moved to volunteer during the humanitarian crisis. Some cook hot meals or distribute hygiene products to the displaced, while others compile lists of individuals offering free or reduced-cost accommodation. Many are organizing blood drives for the strained medical system or collecting donations from the Lebanese diaspora.
One man who asked to go by Amir told The Media Line how the conflict altered his plans for a recently opened restaurant.
Five months ago, Amir opened a restaurant called Heart in one of Beirut’s upscale neighborhoods. When the crisis hit, he completely shifted its purpose.
“I closed the business and turned it into a soup kitchen, running seven days a week, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.,” Amir said. Each shift, the kitchen serves 1,000 meals.
Amir said that the volunteers and friends who are helping at the soup kitchen have become “one big family.”
We are tired of talking about resilience
Beirut is often said to have been destroyed seven times in its history. While civilians continue to support each other, many are exhausted by Lebanon’s repeated crises. “We are tired of talking about resilience,” Amir said.
Local civil society organizations provide most of Lebanon’s humanitarian aid, with international groups largely absent. The government, too, is missing. Lebanon is in its fifth year of a severe economic crisis, which experts blame on the ruling political class. The country has been led by a caretaker cabinet for over two years and remains without a president.
Grassroots initiatives, local associations, Lebanese businesses, and citizens are stepping in to fill the gaps. Since Israeli strikes on Lebanon intensified last month, these groups have increased their efforts to provide food and shelter to locals and foreigners.
“I feel fortunate to be part of Nation Station; this is when people need us the most,” Tahebo said. “Everyone is doing their best to contribute, as it gives us some comfort to spend all day working for those in need during these difficult times.”
She noted that volunteers often work to overcome the helplessness inspired by news of Israeli strikes.
Amir summed up the current sentiment as “all for one and one for all.”
“Right now, we are not coping with what we’re experiencing, because coping means accepting it,” he said. “So, you never cope; you just live day by day.”
