Nesreen MacDonald is a Spruce Grove resident of two worlds and since August has been working hard to help her shattered one.

The mother was in the kitchen with her two children when the Lebanese capital of Beirut was rocked by an explosion of ammonium nitrate stored at its harbor towards the beginning August. Her parents came from the nation to Canada in 1978 and while she is a born and raised Canadian with family spread out around the Middle Eastern nation, she also has friends who were on the ground as the disaster unfolded and recalls trying to reach them with a mixture of frenzy and disbelief clashing in her mind as the shock began to clear.

“I was researching and saying ‘this cannot be true’,” she said. “Of course, it was and when trying to reach people my close childhood friend was not getting back to me. My heart just sank and the messages started to get panicky. I got a call about 10 hours later and they were displaced from their apartment. Glass was everywhere and her son got a broken shoulder. They got stitches and it was just pure chaos.”

About 200 died in the incident marked as one of the largest non-nuclear explosions in history. Billions worth of property was damaged, protesters took to the streets to demand accountability in the wake of the disaster and, while focus on the incident has faded from much of Canadian media and minds, MacDonald got into action with her culinary skills to help in the immediate aftermath and is still doing so today.

“I was making Lebanese rice pudding and hummus the day after,” MacDonald said. “With the amazing support of friends, strangers and Facebook I was able to raise $3,300 which with the Canadian government matching until Aug. 24 equates to about $6,600. I did not want to just say ‘I am Lebanese, can I have money to donate?’ I wanted to offer part of my culture and honestly the response has been amazing.”

Those wanting some pudding or hummus now can contact her through her Facebook page or by texting 780-966-5539. The funds she collects then go to the Humanitarian Coalition. This is a four-star rated umbrella organization consisting of groups like Action Against Hunger, Canadian Lutheran World Relief and Islamic Relief Canada that works alongside non-governmental organizations in a time of crisis.

Her orders cost $5 for 10 oz. of hummus or pudding and $8 for a 16 oz. container of pudding and are made in a COVID-19 safe way. MacDonald has buying individual containers at the grocery store for each order, has raised more than $4,000 on her own as of this story being filed and is seen by the coalition as someone who is an example of the goal that they strive for with all that they do every year.

“She is so inspiring,” spokesperson Marg Buchanan said. “Our goal is to mobilize Canadians and not just credit cards. People can help people and when we can connect people with the stories of others who are in some need it is very exciting and an exciting level of engagement.”

MacDonald has no ending in mind for her present project. She keeps going and going and is moved by the connection she has received.

“I cannot just pull $4,000 out of my pocket and donate it,” she added. “I wish I could. It has been amazing and I have had such a great response. People love that they are donating and getting a taste of where this whole cooking story ended up originating from.”