100% of Profits for Humanitarian Aid
June 24, 2025
Before SoulTies had a name, a website, or even a plan, it was just two people with restless hearts and too many quiet prayers whispered under tired breaths. From the very beginning, our biggest ideas came alive during the stillness of Ramadan nights and the hope-filled mornings of Eid.
This has never been about just fundraising. It has always been about helping people carry burdens they shouldn’t have to bear alone. It has always been about compassion, mercy, and the unspoken promise that we would show up for each other, no matter how small we started.
Ramadan 2024 was the very first month SoulTies existed. We launched on the first night, with no blueprint and no clue if anyone would trust us. We didn’t have big sponsors or slick marketing. We only had our own savings, a handful of bracelets, and a mission that kept us awake long after everyone else had fallen asleep.
People were skeptical. Some doubted whether the funds would reach the families we promised to help. We heard the whispers. We felt the hesitation. But we knew the only way to prove ourselves was to stand in front of people, face to face, and let them see our hearts up close.
We didn’t expect much. It was scary and honestly exhausting, but staying home and doing nothing felt heavier. So we packed our bracelets into small boxes, folded up a cheap table, and drove from one Ramadan gathering to the next, every single night.
Sometimes the wind would knock our setup over and we would chase bracelets across the parking lot in the dark, laughing at how unprepared we were. Other nights, we stood for hours with almost no sales until one curious person would stop and ask, “What is this for?” and suddenly ten more would gather around.
We were there at suhoor festivals, community iftars, masjid programs, Quran khatams, youth nights — anywhere people gathered, we were there too. Night after night, we stayed until five in the morning, speaking with tired voices and hopeful hearts, telling strangers that every bracelet could help feed families in Palestine.
We didn’t have rehearsed pitches or flashy displays. Just two people behind a simple table, talking one on one, heart to heart. Some people gave us ten dollars and asked for nothing in return. Some bought a bracelet and made du’a for our families. Some didn’t buy anything at all but stood with us for a few minutes, offering kind words and prayers.
When we packed up each night, sometimes when the sky was already lightening for Fajr, our feet ached, our voices were gone, but our hearts felt so full. Every bracelet sold was proof that goodness still moves quietly from person to person when given the chance.
In that first month, SoulTies raised $27,000. It still feels unreal to say out loud. The majority came from in-person conversations and sales; only about fifteen percent came from our small online shop.
It didn’t matter how small or big the sales were. What mattered was what they turned into: food on tables, relief for families, hope on the other side of the world.
We partnered with Bridge to Baladi, and every dollar raised was put to work exactly where we promised. After Ramadan, we used the funds to buy over 2,500 pounds of meat and made sure it reached families in time for Eid al-Adha.
This was when we realized SoulTies was more than a bracelet or a booth. It was trust. It was culture, commerce, and compassion tied together in one simple knot.
That first Ramadan taught us how far honesty and mercy can carry you. It taught us that when your mission is genuine and your heart is clear, people will stand beside you even if they don’t know your name yet.
We learned that strangers want to help. They just need someone to show them how. One bracelet at a time, one prayer at a time, one conversation at a time — what started as two people turned into a community with a purpose bigger than either of us could have imagined.
Even now, every decision is filtered through the same simple test: Would this help someone feel seen and cared for? Would this build trust? Would this stay true to why we began?
Faith keeps us honest. It reminds us that every bracelet, every hoodie, every dollar raised is not just charity — it is a small act of mercy, a quiet promise that no one’s struggle should be carried alone.
If you donated that first Ramadan, visited our booth, stayed up talking to us until five in the morning, or prayed for our mission in the quiet moments of your own nights, you are forever part of this story. You helped feed families, spark hope, and prove that goodness is still alive in this world.
When Eid morning comes, your reward is not in our numbers or photos but in every hidden moment where someone’s burden was lifted because you chose to care.
May every Ramadan tie us closer, may every Eid remind us to give more freely, and may SoulTies always stay as honest and hopeful as those first nights standing under parking lot lights, believing people would show up — and watching them do exactly that.
