Southeast Portland coffee shop raises money to build coffee shop in Gaza

PORTLAND Ore. (KPTV) - Krista Cave does not just come to Heretic Coffee for the drinks and conversation. She also loves the heart behind the Southeast Portland coffee shop.

“I think that was the first reason we ended up coming here,” she said.

Heretic, known for its philanthropy, is now raising $100,000 to build a coffee shop in Gaza.

“I think it’s really cool that something so local to us could take part in rebuilding a community that’s far away, but we’ve been hearing so much about,” Cave said.

Owner Josh White said they are partnering with HUMANITE Peace Collective, a global humanitarian organization. They plan to call the new Gaza coffee shop the Dept. of Peace.

“Their whole thesis is helping people before, during and after war,” White said.

He said they plan on serving free coffee and meals, which is similar to what Heretic does in Portland. The coffee shop started giving free breakfasts to anyone with SNAP benefits during the government shutdown in fall 2025.

“We’re a coffee shop, sure. But the engine behind everything,” he said, “is feeding people for free. And that is also the driving mission of having a coffee shop inside Gaza. It is 100% led by our Palestinian team. So, this is for Palestinians by Palestinians.”

He said HUMANITE’s team in Gaza is looking at a few different plots of land. Some are piles of rubble. He hopes one can soon become not a place ravaged by war, but a space of belonging.

“Culture, lifestyle, ways of living, places that give comfort and peace, those were also stripped away,” he said, “and this is us attempting to rebuild.”

As of Friday evening, Heretic has raised more than $24,000. White said they do not have a deadline for when they need to raise the money. However, he would love to start feeding people by the end of the year.

“I don’t think anyone that cares about Heretic and what they do would push back on helping to rebuild Gaza,” Cave said.