AUSTIN, Texas — Volunteers from across Central Texas gathered at an Austin warehouse to collect, sort and prepare relief supplies for communities in Venezuela affected by recent earthquakes, organizers said.
The Austin Venezuelan Association is leading the relief effort, with dozens of volunteers packing diapers, medical supplies, clothing and food for shipment to Venezuela.
Organizer Jose Mata, a Venezuelan American, said his moving company has served as the collection and distribution site for donated supplies.
“Luckily for me, I own a moving company, so I have a warehouse, I have two trucks,” Mata said.
Last week, earthquakes measuring magnitudes 7.2 and 7.5 struck Venezuela, damaging several cities, including parts of Caracas.
Volunteers said the disaster has affected many families.
“Many families lost everything. Some don’t have a house. Some don’t have family. Maybe children don’t have parents,” volunteer Ava Gutierrez said.
Volunteer Jorlibeth Neimeyer said her family was safe, but many of her friends continue searching for relatives.
“Luckily, my family is OK, but because my family is OK, that doesn’t mean my heart is OK,” Neimeyer said. “I feel the pain for my friends who are looking for their families.”
Volunteers loaded hundreds of boxes onto pallets within an hour as additional donations continued to arrive.
Mata said transporting the supplies to Venezuela remains one of the biggest challenges.
“You have to put together everything in one place and then ship it out,” Mata said. “Cities across the United States are doing the same thing, and many shipments are being routed through Miami. There are a lot of things going on in the background, but we will get this shipped out as soon as possible.”
Neimeyer said people from several countries have joined the relief effort.
“It’s amazing the support,” she said. “There are people from Argentina, America, Bolivia, Mexico, El Salvador and Chile.”
The Austin Venezuelan Association said it continues to seek volunteers and financial donations to help cover shipping costs. The organization said it will post updates on volunteer opportunities through its social media pages.
