TAMPA, Fla. — Bay area organizations are collecting food, medical supplies and tents to send to families in Colombia affected by the devastating earthquake earlier this week.
The Colombian community in the Tampa Bay area is mobilizing to collect critical supplies and get them to survivors as quickly as possible.
ASOCOL is leading the local relief effort, working with several Colombian organizations to establish collection sites and coordinate shipping logistics.
“We are trying to organize what the need is specifically,” said Martha Manjaris Gallagher of ASOCOL. “We don’t want to be sending items that are not necessary.”
Organizers say the most urgently needed items include medical supplies, non-perishable food, and tents.
“The most important thing right now is that a lot of people don’t have houses, don’t have a place to stay, so we need tents,” said relief organizer Andres Viana. “We need a lot of canned food because we need to feed the people that have all the problems.”
The first phase of the relief effort will involve collecting supplies in the Tampa Bay area, transporting them to Miami and then shipping them to Colombia.
For Blanca Castano, the crisis is personal. Her brother lives in Cali, one of the cities hit hardest by the earthquake.
Residents and rescue workers search through the rubble of a collapsed building after an earthquake struck Cali, Colombia, Monday, Aug. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Santiago Saldarriaga)
“All the neighborhood in his house broke down to the floor,” Castano said, describing the damage to her brother’s neighborhood. “Many of the houses, not all, but many of them.”
Organizers say a list of priority items and additional collection locations will be posted as the relief effort expands. They are also urging people who want to donate to use verified community channels to help ensure supplies reach those who need them.
The first collection site for Colombia earthquake relief supplies is Casa 21 Restaurant at 4235 West Waters Avenue in Tampa. More collection locations are expected to be organized.
The need is especially urgent as the death toll continues to rise and hundreds of people have been injured.
Food insecurity was already a concern in Colombia before the earthquake, and the disaster has made access to food even more difficult. International organizations are also stepping up efforts to help fill gaps in the food supply chain.
For more information on how you can help, visit https://asocoltampa.com