The thriller writer Megan Collins has started a wonderful initiative: a Book Raffle For Gaza. The slogan is “Do Good, Win Books.” Indeed!
Under Megan’s leadership, seventy incredible authors are donating books to be raffled off. Megan Collins herself is offering signed, personalized copy of Cross My Heart, and Emily Henry is offering a personalized bundle of all of her romances. The illustrious list of participants also includes Andrea Bartz, Julia Bartz, Darby Kane, Amina Akhtar, Bryn Greenwood, Katie Gutierrez, Paul Tremblay, Ashley Winstead, Vanessa Lillie, Polly Stewart, Jamie Ford, Elizabeth McCullough Keenan and Greg Wands, and Jessa Maxwell. There are thirteen bundles of books, organized by genre. Check them all out here!
Each raffle ticket is $10, and the raffle is open through August 8th, 11:59 pm PT (that’s August 9th, 2:59 am for all of us on the Eastern Seaboard).
According to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), which is backed by the United Nations, “the worst-case scenario of Famine is currently playing out in the Gaza Strip. Conflict and displacement have intensified, and access to food and other essential items and services has plummeted to unprecedented levels.”
The bulletin continues to outline the forced horrors that face the people of Gaza:
Mounting evidence shows that widespread starvation, malnutrition, and disease are driving a rise in hunger-related deaths. Latest data indicates that Famine thresholds have been reached for food consumption in most of the Gaza Strip and for acute malnutrition in Gaza City.
Malnutrition has been rising rapidly in the first half of July. Over 20,000 children have been admitted for treatment for acute malnutrition between April and mid-July, with more than 3,000 severely malnourished. Hospitals have reported a rapid increase in hunger-related deaths of children under five years of age, with at least 16 reported deaths since 17 July.
Immediate action must be taken to end the hostilities and allow for unimpeded, large-scale, life-saving humanitarian response. This is the only path to stopping further deaths and catastrophic human suffering.
This famine has been levied and is controlled by the Israeli military. A detailed outline of the amounts of aid withheld from Gaza, as well as a guide to what starvation “means” and does to the human body, can be found here.
So remember, friends, it is important to help in any way we can. Our brothers and sisters in Gaza are facing unbelievable horrors, horrors that we would never want to befall us or our families. Any way you can give, any way you can help, is significant. Megan’s raffle is a great way to do good during these terrible times.
Here is the remainder of the raffle information, from Megan’s Instagram:
Because the need for food and aid is so urgent, the best way to help people in Gaza is to donate directly to families and organizations on the ground. As such, 100% of the proceeds from this raffle will go to a number of families that some of the participating Book Raffle authors are in touch with regularly, as well as to @dr_rabnawaz_afzal and other organizations that are distributing life-saving food, formula, and water to people in Gaza every day.
To enter:
-Venmo $10 to @megancollinswriter (I’m the raffle organizer and therefore the one collecting and distributing donations; I will be documenting where donations go each day, so feel free to follow along!)
-In the “What’s this for?” box on Venmo, include your email address and the bundle number you want your ticket(s) to go toward
-Every $10 you donate gets you another ticket, which is another chance to win!
-If you don’t have Venmo, send a donation to @dr_rabnawaz_afzal directly through the link in his bio, then DM the receipt to @megancollinswriter on IG, along with your email address and the bundle number you want your ticket(s) to go toward
-Due to the high cost of international shipping, winners are limited to US residents, though we welcome donations from anyone.
-Raffle closes at 11:59 pm PT on August 8.
Winners will be announced via email. Please help us spread the word about this raffle by sharing it!
Enter, please! This is a wonderful way to support the people of Gaza and the literary community.
