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Cruelty-Free Kitchen

 I have been so moved by the many Palestinians in Gaza who are supporting their community while also experiencing the same hardship and dangerous conditions as those around them. There are a number of individuals and groups who are doing amazing work, embodying compassion and love in all of their actions. I hope to write about more of them in the coming days. And to start things off tonight, I want to share with you some information about one particular group whose members are doing all they can to take care of both the animals and the people while they are all suffering from the unrelenting violence of this genocide. 

They are called the “Cruelty-Free Kitchen,” and they were founded by five wonderful people: Walid, Amjad, Abood, Mahmoud, and Mo. From their fundraiser page: 

“With support from our donations, the kitchen has successfully distributed thousands of meals, ensuring that hundreds upon hundreds of people—mostly children—are able to leave with food in their bellies.”


Children in Gaza waiting for and receiving food from the community kitchen

Until the siege on Northern Gaza, the Cruelty-Free Kitchen had partnered with World Central Kitchen, which helped with supplies. However, this is no longer possible, and the team is now relying on our support more than ever. As conditions in the north grow even more dire with little to no aid crossing into the region, supplies are getting harder to find and prices have grown exorbitantly high. 


In addition to the team in the North, there’s an extension of the Cruelty-Free Kitchen in Central Gaza. Mo, Walid's cousin, is living in a tent camp, doing his best to supply those around him with fresh bread, water, and occasionally treats for the children. If the kitchen in North Gaza is ever forced to stop operating, the remaining funds will be redirected to Mo’s efforts in Deir al Balah to keep his bakery running and provide clean water.


The love and compassion these amazing men show to everyone around them every single day is beautiful and deserves our support. They are also enduring tremendous losses of their own, and they face countless dangers every day. I think of them often and search for their updates every day. I am continually affected by their compassion and love.


You can learn more about the work they do by following them on Twitter, and you can also help support them and their efforts by donating to the fundraiser for Cruelty Free Kitchen, as well as to the members’ individual fundraisers, which helps to support them so they can also take care of their own families and the animals they care for and also continue this work.  



And a very special and personal thank you to Abood for connecting with me online about all of this. When I expressed my appreciation to him for all that he is doing, he shared:


"This is our duty towards all the innocent creatures here. Helping them gives me hope to survive and continue helping with loyal and wonderful friends. We love peace, security and stability, helping others is a small part of what motivates us to continue in order to stay strong and continue to help all the innocent creatures here in North Gaza.”


Please support these beautiful people however you can. (And to any returning #vegan readers out there who are reading this, supporting this kitchen and its founders is also a great way for us to further align our supportive actions with our vegan ethics.)

--January 12, 2025