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\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\nTaste of Venezuela at Eau Claire Plaza was supposed to be a celebration of the country\u2019s food and cultural flair.<\/p>\n
However, in the wake of the earthquakes that struck the country, the event organized in Calgary to celebrate Venezuelan culture turned into a place for the community to support one another.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s just the feeling I have right now is sad,\u201d Milana Varro told CityNews at the event on Saturday.<\/p>\n
Milana Varro moved to Canada from Venezuela nine years ago. She\u2019s thankful that her close family members are safe, but she feels for others who are not as lucky.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe just need everybody\u2019s help. These people are just trying to find family and friends, kids,\u201d Varro said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI saw videos, my heart is broken, totally. When I saw people under the [rubble]. And people outside just cannot help because the heavy things, they cannot take out and move the people.\u201d<\/p>\n
More than 1,400 people are confirmed dead after back-to-back earthquakes on Wednesday, and thousands of others are injured.<\/p>\n
Families reported at least 68,900 people missing Saturday, just days after the 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude earthquakes\u00a0devastated the South American nation.<\/p>\n
Albren Portillo says his uncle in Caracas is safe, but he\u2019s lost his job in the area affected by the quake.<\/p>\n
\u201cEverywhere in Venezuela, they\u2019re gathering food and supplies, and they are giving even what they don\u2019t have to help. Because this is a really, this is one of the most devastating things that has happened \u2014 besides the corrupt government that we had for the last 27 years,\u201d he tells CityNews.<\/p>\n
Ernesto Gudino, the organizer of Taste of Venezuela, says financial help is certainly crucial at the moment, but so is togetherness and information sharing. It\u2019s what the Venezuelan community here is doing this weekend.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel very bad, but life continues. This is the opportunity to meet, to demonstrate that we are one voice and together we can do more,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think right now as a community, all we can do is be together, help as much as we can, not only with money, with prayers, but also with information. Anything helps.\u201d<\/p>\n
The event\u2019s fundraising is through the charity Canadian Global Response to help with earthquake relief.<\/p>\n
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\t\t\t\tPeople on the Taste of Venezuela stage at Eau Claire Plaza hold up the country’s flag and celebrate in Calgary on Saturday, June 27, 2026. (Amar Shah, CityNews image) <\/p>\n
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