Tinto Bakery owner Hannah Quick is raising funds to support her friends living in Gaza.
Photo by
Megan Fisher
When Tinto Bakery owner Hannah Quick is on the phone, it’s a rare and fleeting moment of joy for her Palestinian friends living in Gaza.
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“I’ve been speaking to them every day,” she said.
“I know we’re privileged not to have to know what that feels like, what they’re living through, but I feel for them.
“I think about it a lot — what’s happening and what they tell me.”
Israel launched its war against Hamas in October 2023 in response to the Hamas attacks of October 7 that month.
Since then, the number of casualties is among the highest of any conflict this century, according to a recent study conducted by international researchers and Palestinian field surveys.
The survey recorded 75,200 violent deaths and 8540 indirect deaths between October 2023 and January 2025.
Remaining citizens are in a state of extreme deprivation and hunger.
Ms Quick longed to help her friends, so she’s doing what she does best: baking.
On Sunday, August 24, from 8am to 2pm, Tinto Bakery in Shepparton will host a ‘Bake Sale for Palestine’, with all proceeds supporting her friends’ families in Gaza.
Alongside much-loved almond croissants and morning buns, Tinto’s menu will expand to include traditional Palestinian sweets, with recipes generously shared by Ms Quick’s friends.
Customers will be able to try ma’amoul, a buttery shortbread-style cookie filled with date paste; basbousa, a light cake soaked in syrup; and the well-known favourite, baklava, made with layers of filo pastry, nuts and syrup.
“Through this bake sale, I hope to bring a piece of their heritage to our community while raising funds to provide much-needed assistance,” Ms Quick said.
“Every donation, no matter the size, will go directly towards helping my friends and their families afford essentials like food, medicine, and safe shelter.”
Already, the support from the community has been nothing short of extraordinary.
Just a week after announcing the event on Instagram, nearly $800 had been donated online through a GoFundMe page, surpassing Ms Quick’s initial $500 fundraising goal before the first pastry even left the oven.
“I can see the insights on the Instagram post, and I think it was over 10,000 when I last checked,” she said.
“Hopefully, there’s not 10,000 people to feed, but a lot of those people are coming.”
The bake sale will coincide with the nationwide March for Humanity.
In Shepparton, demonstrators will gather at noon at the Shepparton Art Museum and march to the office of Federal Member for Nicholls Sam Birrell.
Ms Quick expects some people will fuel up at the bakery before the march, while others may stop by solely to grab their Palestinian baked goods, showing support in a more private setting.
Either way, the impact will be felt.
Ms Quick is already feeling it.
“Thank you to everybody who has contributed so far ... I’m so grateful, and it’s going to go a long way,” she said.
“I hope to see everyone, maybe not 10,000 people, but most people — and I’m sure we’ll see a lot of familiar Tinto faces in as well.”
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