Deadly Morocco earthquake: Montreal’s LaSalle College collecting donations for relief efforts

Staff and students at Montreal’s LaSalle College are collecting donations to help Moroccan relief efforts after a 6.8 magnitude earthquake hit the country Friday, killing thousands and leaving many on the streets.

Volunteers set up a collection site at the school Monday for donations to send to those dealing with the aftermath of the disaster.

“A lot of people donating stuff were people that lost family so they were crying and it was really sad,” said LaSalle College student and volunteer Rayhan Mkamel.

“We saw so many people that can’t do nothing because they’re here,” added Nadia Elhamiri, the assistant director Of administrative services at LaSalle College. “And they lost friends or family, and (were) crying and donating and thanked us for what we do. It was so emotional and everybody was crying and hugging.”

Following the generous response from the community, donations needed to be moved to the building next door to allow for more space.

Donations for Morocco earthquake relief efforts collected at LaSalle College, Sept. 12, 2023. (Brittany Henriques, CityNews image)

Donations being collected: clothes, camping gear, baby supplies, hygiene products. Funds donated will be sent to the Red Cross.

Anyone hoping to donate can stop by 2110 Sainte-Catherine Street West over the next two weeks from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.

“We have to help its the bare minimum that we can do. We’re far away from Morocco, so it’s very, very sad for us,” said Fennich Batoul, a volunteer and student from Université de Montréal.

“We are all family, all Moroccan people are one big family. We are all sad for each other and trying to help each other.”

Volunteers said they were surprised by the positive response from Montrealers.

“It’s so heartwarming,” said Mkamel. “I came in today, I have class in maybe an hour, I came in to do volunteering for maybe just an hour and I was shocked by how many people were donating.”

“It’s really nice to see how many people actually care.”

LaSalle College set up to receive donations for Morocco earthquake relief efforts, Sept. 12, 2023. (Brittany Henriques, CityNews image)

“I knew that a lot of Moroccan people would help us, it was obvious to us, but there was a lot of people not even from the Maghreb, not even Arab,” added Batoul.

The death toll from the Morocco earthquake climbed to 2,681 by Tuesday, with more than 2,500 people injured.

The epicentre was high in the Atlas Mountains about 70 kilometers south of Marrakech. The region is largely rural,

“No one was prepared, everything collapsed,” said Mkamel.

Quebec sending emergency aid to Morocco

Meanwhile Quebec is sending $1.5 million in emergency aid to Morocco.

Minister of International Relations and Francophonie Martine Biron made the announcement Tuesday.

She says the money will be used to support Quebec international cooperation organizations, which already work in close collaboration with Moroccan partners.

Quebec has a large Moroccan diaspora: 81,000 people of Moroccan origin live in Quebec.

Morocco is one of the priority countries for Quebec’s international solidarity action, according to the press release published by Minister Biron’s office.

—With files from La Presse Canadienne