OTTAWA -- A local pizza shop with Lebanese roots has announced it will be raising funds for the Red Cross to aid in relief efforts in the wake of the massive explosion this week in Beirut.

Gabriel Pizza will be donating $2 from every pizza it sells Aug. 7 through 9 to the emergency relief efforts in Beirut in partnership with the Canadian Red Cross.

Michael Hanna, who immigrated to Canada from Lebanon in 1968, founded Gabriel Pizza in 1977. There are now locations across eastern Ontario and western Quebec.

“We are deeply saddened by the horrific explosion in Lebanon. The citizens of Lebanon are strong and resilient, but they need our help,” said Gabriel Pizza President George Hanna in a press release on Friday. “We encourage the Canadian-Lebanese business community to rally behind this beautiful country with their own fundraising efforts.”

Tuesday's blast killed at least 150 people and injured thousands. Authorities estimate more than 300,000 people are now homeless as the explosion destroyed or damaged homes in a large radius around the epicentre. 

With files from The Associated Press.