Cork businesswoman Joan Lucey said she was motivated to give the gross profits this Saturday, the 27th, from her three Vibes and Scribes shops to Doctors Without Borders (Medicins sans Frontieres) by the ongoing horror of what is happening to the Palestinian people in Gaza.

“We want to do something practical to help the Palestinians in humanitarian terms and Doctors Without Borders is a widely respected charity – if anyone wants to shop with us on Saturday, we would be happy to give the gross profits on their purchase to help the charity.”

Joan, originally from Macroom, said that Irish political leaders like Taoiseach Michéal Martin and Tanaiste Simon Harris have spoken this week at the United Nations about the immense suffering of the Palestinian people, but she believes Irish people also want to help out in practical terms.

“I really feel Irish people are very passionate about the plight of the Palestinian people – we see the shocking images on our TV screens every night of emaciated children and families mourning loved ones as they are removed from the rubble of some air strike or attack – it’s heartbreaking.

“I think Irish people are angry over what is happening and may feel powerless in terms of being able to do anything at a macro level but what we are doing is very simple – we are just giving the people the chance to help out in a practical way while going about their business.”

For anyone who can’t make it into Vibes and Scribes on Saturday, there will be collection boxes in the shops from Wednesday for two weeks if people want to donate while there will also be link to Doctors Without Borders (MSF) website for anyone buying online on the Vibes and Scribes website.