As the search and rescue efforts continue in Venezuela following the powerful earthquakes, the Los Angeles community is stepping up to send supplies and resources to those in need.
Volunteers at Full Arepas restaurant on 7th Street near Hill Street in downtown Los Angeles say they’ve collected about 3 tons of supplies since Wednesday.
“All of the volunteers here are different nationalities, different backgrounds, but we all come together through community, through social media, and we’re here to help,” volunteer Maggie Santiago said.
With donations pouring in from across Southern California, Full Arepas has become a hub for humanitarian aid.
“Being able to give that message of love, of hope, of unity is solidarity,” Santiago said. “It has gone a long way with everyone who’s been affected in Venezuela right now.”
For the organizers and many of the volunteers, the mission is deeply personal. They have family and friends in Venezuela and say this is a way to support their loved ones back home.
“I have some friends who lose their fathers, and then I have some friends who lose their homes, too, and then, in my case, my family, it’s OK, thank God for that, but we lose two apartments,” volunteer Jose Fernandez said.
Since the earthquakes hit Venezuela, volunteers have been collecting donations ranging from blankets and baby supplies to toiletries and nonperishable food.
Los Angeles residents moved by rescue efforts in Venezuela after the country was rocked by back-to-back devastating earthquakes have rounded up donations to send to those who were impacted. Darsha Philips reports for the NBC4 News at 11 p.m. on Friday, June 26, 2026.
“Just so meaningful because going to a third world country, a lot of times people don’t understand that the commodities we have here in the U.S. are just not readily available,” Santiago said.
Volunteers say taking action gives them hope and that showing up for each other is how they show love when their community is in crisis.
“In Venezuela, we are a family,” Fernandez said. “You know, everybody knows everybody, and then we will create a big community. And when someone loses something, we try to help them, and then we try to keep that culture here.”
Organizers say they’re shipping these donations to a nonprofit in Venezuela called Helping Children, which will then distribute them to communities in need.