How to help Beirut's explosion victims by dining out and doing your groceries

As of today, the death toll for the victims of the explosion in the port of Beirut on August 4 numbers at 220 with 110 people missing—a number that's sure to rise when considering undocumented foreign workers in the city—and as many as 300,000 people have been displaced by the blast, according to reporting by the BBC.

Tensions continue to escalate as anti-government protesters stormed ministry buildings in Beirut, and clashing with police; three ministers have stepped down, but outrage over the handling of the disaster have resulted in calls for the whole cabinet to step down.

It goes without saying that the chemical disaster has sent shockwaves throughout Lebanese communities around the world, and here in Montreal, businesses are stepping up to collect donations and to pledge contributions to organizations like the Lebanese Red Cross based on sales at their restaurants, grocery stores and bakeries.

If you or someone you know is aware of businesses contributing to fundraising efforts, please send an email to Time Out Montreal; we're in this together!

Kazamaza

One of this city's best and brightest Middle Eastern restaurants began by donating 50% of its sales for the week to Offre Joie, a Lebanese NGO helping out with relief efforts following the Beirut explosion; if you didn't dine in or order out here this past week, you can still make a donation at that link.

Omnivore Grill

Plateau's darling—and no, we're not talking about the café—grab and go spot for Middle Eastern eats like mezze, sandwiches, salads and kebbe is donated 25% of their sales for the past week to Lebanese Red Cross, so if you didn't get eating during that time, donate directly to the LRC. 

Boustan

Over this past weekend, Boustan donated a walloping $10,000 to the Lebanese Red Cross. While the restaurant chain is not running a dollar-for-dollar compaign, they are continuing to run a GoFundMe which collects donations for the Lebanese Red Cross; the link can be found here.

Garage Beirut

We've got to hand it to Garage Beirut; not only are they making some amazing food, but their generosity knows no bounds: For the rest of the month of August, the restaurant is raising funds for the Lebanese Red Cross with 20% of all their sales. Get cold and hot mezze and charcoal-grilled goods from here knowing that your money's going towards something worthwhile.

Amir

If you're in a late-night jam for munchies, you've likely ended up going to an Amir franchise location, and for good reason: It's steady and reliable stuff. That sturdiness and reliability continues when considering how they are making space on their website to raise money for the Lebanese Red Cross. Use the links they provide to show them the fundraising works!

Adonis

Finally, few grocery stores can top the massive variety and quality offerings that an Adonis location has. Among their locations across Montreal, the grocery store chain has been adding donation boxes to their cashes, so you can chip in a couple extra bucks. It's the least you can do to thank them for their collections efforts, as well as those awesome nut, cheese and seafood bars they have.

Anyone who wishes to help the victims of the Beirut explosion are encouraged to donate to the Lebanese Red Cross; the Lebanese Food Bank; the food, medical and housing cost supporter Beit el Baraka; the health and psychological service provider Amel Association; and Impact Lebanon, which raises money for the Lebanese diaspora whose homes were destroyed in the blast.

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