Questions people ask us

Lights for Lebanon is a student-led fundraiser that helps displaced families in Lebanon. We run bake sales and events, collect donations online, and deliver food, hygiene products, and basic supplies with local partners.

Four students lead it: Nathaniel Woods (co-president and co-founder), Ridha Mneimneh (co-president, co-founder, and head of legal), Karim Azour (co-president, co-founder, and head of outreach), and Adetayo Agueh (assistant founder, vice president, and executive director). Emma Gemayel, Zakaria Lebbaz, Jordan Kanski, and Pauline Robberechts have also contributed.

Donations pay for care packages for displaced families in Lebanon. Each package holds food that keeps, hygiene products such as soap and toothpaste, and other essentials families ask for. We deliver them with local organizations.

Donate through our GoFundMe fundraiser, which you can open from the donate page. GoFundMe protects donations with its Giving Guarantee.

Yes. Our total of $2,000+ as of 12 October 2026 counts online gifts on GoFundMe, bake sale and event proceeds, and donations we received outside GoFundMe. The GoFundMe page shows online gifts only.

Our partners are Beit el Baraka, a Lebanese nonprofit that supports elderly people and struggling families, and the American Task Force on Lebanon, a Washington, DC nonprofit that works to strengthen ties between the United States and Lebanon.

On 2 April 2026, Lebanese authorities reported that more than one million people had been displaced since fighting escalated in March 2026. These figures date from spring 2026, so check IOM and UN OCHA for current numbers.

There is no single best way. Large agencies and national societies like the Lebanese Red Cross can reach many people and often give tax receipts. Smaller groups can deliver quickly and tell you exactly where your gift went. Choose an organization you can verify, and read what it says it will do with your money. Our guide on how to donate to Lebanon explains how to check.

No. Lights for Lebanon is a student-led fundraiser. We are not a registered charity and have not published a tax-exempt status. Donations are collected through our GoFundMe page and used for care packages for displaced families in Lebanon.

Lights for Lebanon is a student-led fundraiser. We are not a registered charity and have not published a tax-exempt status, so gifts to us are not tax deductible and we cannot give tax receipts. If you need a tax receipt, give to a registered charity.

Aid organizations generally ask for money. Shipping goods is slow and costly, and local groups can buy what families need closer to where they are. If you want to donate supplies, ask the organization first.

Email contact@lightsforlebanon.org or message us on Instagram at @lights.for.lebanon.

Yes. Message us on Instagram at @lights.for.lebanon and we will talk it through.