PASCO COUNTY — Venezuelan organizers in the Tampa Bay area are hosting a free mental health support gathering Saturday in Tampa for people processing the impact of last month’s earthquake in Venezuela.
The event, called “Cuando nuestro suelo tiembla, nos sostenemos,” or “When our ground shakes, we hold on,” in English, will take place from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the Children’s Board in Tampa.
Organizers say the gathering is meant to give people a place to grieve together, share what they are experiencing and find support after devastating earthquakes last month have left nearly 4,000 people dead and thousands of injured and missing.
Denisse Pacheco, a Wesley Chapel resident who moved to the U.S. three years ago from Venezuela, said the days after the earthquake were emotionally difficult as she waited for updates from loved ones in Venezuela.
“You never think that when you leave your home that it could be your last goodbye,” Pacheco said. “We never imagine that. You always think you’ll have time to go back.”
Pacheco said her father narrowly escaped a collapsing building, while her mother was trapped inside another building when the earthquake struck.
Her family survived, but she said watching alerts come in from afar left her feeling unable to help.
“I felt helpless with every alert that popped up, one worse than the next,” Pacheco said. “And I would say, ‘God help me, I didn’t know how to help.’”
Pacheco says she wanted to do something to help, and teamed up with others to send diapers, feminine products, bandages and other essential supplies to people affected by the earthquake.
She said she also realized that Venezuelans in the Tampa Bay area needed support for their mental health.
“We shared the same sentiment: feelings of guilt, sadness, stress, depression,” Pacheco said.
Pacheco partnered with social worker Katherine Borja to host the support gathering for the Venezuelan community.
“These spaces are helpful because they help you be heard and you can hear others,” Borja said. “The impact this will have will be done in phases and the idea is to be able to connect with others as a community.”
Borja said the gathering will include opportunities for people to listen to one another, support each other and take part in breathing exercises.
“The idea is to hear each other out,” Borja said. “We’re going to have moments to root for each other, to grow, and breathing exercises.”
As families continue grieving and searching for answers, organizers say building a support system in Tampa Bay can help people face the pain together.
“Not feeling alone helps,” Pacheco said.