1.2 Million Meals: How Community Kitchens Are Feeding Gaza's Children

At six in the morning, before the sun has fully risen over Gaza, the first pots are already on the fire. In a repurposed school courtyard, volunteers from Motaz Foundation's community kitchen network begin the work that will put a hot meal in the hands of thousands of children before noon.

Food insecurity remains one of the most urgent crises facing families after the war. Supply lines are fragile, markets are unpredictable, and for many parents, a guaranteed daily meal for their children is the difference between a child who can go to class and a child who cannot get out of bed.

From donation to dinner table

Every meal starts with procurement. Working with trusted partners including UNRWA USA and IBC, our teams source rice, lentils, vegetables, and cooking fuel as close to Gaza as possible, then move them through approved humanitarian corridors.

From there, the community kitchens take over. Local cooks — many of them mothers who lost their own homes — prepare food in large batches, while volunteers pack individual portions and load delivery routes that prioritize shelters, orphan care centers, and families with young children.

When my son eats a warm meal, he sleeps through the night. That is something I could not give him for months.

— Umm Khaled, mother of three, Deir al-Balah

What your donation does

A $25 gift funds a week of food parcels for a family of five. Since the program began, supporters like you have funded more than 1.2 million meals — and the kitchens are still cooking. Every delivery is logged, and distributions are audited so donors know exactly where their generosity went.