{"id":321002,"date":"2026-06-26T19:33:16","date_gmt":"2026-06-26T19:33:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/321002\/"},"modified":"2026-06-26T19:33:16","modified_gmt":"2026-06-26T19:33:16","slug":"central-florida-collects-donations-for-venezuela","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/321002\/","title":{"rendered":"Central Florida collects donations for Venezuela"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Central Florida collects donations for Venezuela after devastating earthquakes<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1768911270_880_wesh.png\" class=\"lazyload lazyload-in-view branding\" alt=\"WESH logo\"\/><\/p>\n<p>\n\t\t\tUpdated: 3:28 PM EDT Jun 26, 2026\n\t\t<\/p>\n<p>\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.wesh.com\/article\/hearst-television-news-policy-statements\/14471973\" class=\"editorial-standards border-left\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Editorial Standards \u24d8<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\tA Central Florida restaurant has become a donation hub for families affected by the devastating earthquakes in Venezuela, as members of the local Venezuelan community work to help from thousands of miles away while anxiously waiting for news about loved ones. &#8220;It&#8217;s not easy,&#8221; Kelly Jaimes said in Spanish. &#8220;There&#8217;s a deep sense of helplessness when you can&#8217;t be there.&#8221;  Jaimes said many Venezuelans living in Central Florida feel a responsibility to support those back home by collecting donations, volunteering and encouraging others to help. Her restaurant in Port Orange is now serving as a donation drop-off site, accepting clothing, hygiene products, canned goods, rice, beans and other essentials. Organizers said first aid supplies and medications are among the most urgently needed items because they can be shipped to affected communities more quickly than other donations. The restaurant is expected to deliver all collected donations to a central distribution site on Monday, where they will be prepared for shipment to Venezuela. As the community organizes relief efforts, many families are also coping with uncertainty as they search for relatives and friends who remain missing. Jaimes said the last time her family heard from one missing loved one was Wednesday, when he called before boarding a flight to La Guaira. &#8220;After that, we haven&#8217;t heard anything else from him,&#8221; she said. Community members say they will continue collecting donations while hoping for answers about those still unaccounted for. If you&#8217;d like to help, here&#8217;s a list of the items organizers are requesting. Donations can be dropped off at any of the following collection locations: PsicoSaludBelleza Academy3357 West Vine St., Suite 103, Kissimmee, FL 34741Hours: 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.Aixa Aviles Asesora de Negocios13564 Village Park Drive, Suite 0250, Orlando, FL 32837Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.Alcald\u00eda de Orlando400 S. Orange Ave., Orlando, FL 32801Hours: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.KOE601 W. Taft Vineland Road, Orlando, FL 32824Hours: 2 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.Parva220 W. Lake Mary Blvd., Sanford, FL 32773Hours: 7 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.Arepita Beach174 North Beach St., Daytona Beach, FL 32114Hours: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.Full Sabor4989 S. Ridgewood Ave., Port Orange, FL 32127Hours: 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.FASTSIGNS Holly Hill1027 N. Nova Road, Suite 109, Holly Hill, FL 32117Hours: 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.The Nucleus Orchestra9521 Orange Blossom Trail, Suite 118, Orlando, FL 32837Hours: 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Central Florida505 Deltona Blvd., Suite 103, Deltona, FL 32724Hours: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.Edward Jones \u2013 Justin McCulloch, CFP2982 S. Ridgewood Ave., Edgewater, FL 32141Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.Kingdom Movement6881 Kingspointe Parkway, Orlando, FL 32819Hours: 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.Parva1330 N. Woodland Blvd., DeLand, FL 32724Hours: 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\tPORT ORANGE, Fla. \u2014 \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p>A Central Florida restaurant has become a donation hub for families affected by the devastating earthquakes in Venezuela, as members of the local Venezuelan community work to help from thousands of miles away while anxiously waiting for news about loved ones. <\/p>\n<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s not easy,&#8221; Kelly Jaimes said in Spanish. &#8220;There&#8217;s a deep sense of helplessness when you can&#8217;t be there.&#8221; <\/p>\n<p>Jaimes said many Venezuelans living in Central Florida feel a responsibility to support those back home by collecting donations, volunteering and encouraging others to help. <\/p>\n<p>Her restaurant in Port Orange is now serving as a donation drop-off site, accepting clothing, hygiene products, canned goods, rice, beans and other essentials. <\/p>\n<p>Organizers said first aid supplies and medications are among the most urgently needed items because they can be shipped to affected communities more quickly than other donations. <\/p>\n<p>The restaurant is expected to deliver all collected donations to a central distribution site on Monday, where they will be prepared for shipment to Venezuela. <\/p>\n<p>As the community organizes relief efforts, many families are also coping with uncertainty as they search for relatives and friends who remain missing. <\/p>\n<p>Jaimes said the last time her family heard from one missing loved one was Wednesday, when he called before boarding a flight to La Guaira. <\/p>\n<p>&#8220;After that, we haven&#8217;t heard anything else from him,&#8221; she said. <\/p>\n<p>Community members say they will continue collecting donations while hoping for answers about those still unaccounted for. <\/p>\n<p>If you&#8217;d like to help, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/hispanicchambercfl\/posts\/pfbid0kZ4GqkhSfbbLHBbtRPgJQf6Jspja6zALdmfm7APn61WA2SD4DEvtZaUt9rADo3A9l\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">here&#8217;s a list of the items organizers are requesting.<\/a> Donations can be dropped off at any of the following collection locations: <\/p>\n<p>PsicoSaludBelleza Academy<br \/>3357 West Vine St., Suite 103, Kissimmee, FL 34741<br \/>Hours: 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.Aixa Aviles Asesora de Negocios<br \/>13564 Village Park Drive, Suite 0250, Orlando, FL 32837<br \/>Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.Alcald\u00eda de Orlando<br \/>400 S. Orange Ave., Orlando, FL 32801<br \/>Hours: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.KOE<br \/>601 W. Taft Vineland Road, Orlando, FL 32824<br \/>Hours: 2 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.Parva<br \/>220 W. Lake Mary Blvd., Sanford, FL 32773<br \/>Hours: 7 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.Arepita Beach<br \/>174 North Beach St., Daytona Beach, FL 32114<br \/>Hours: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.Full Sabor<br \/>4989 S. Ridgewood Ave., Port Orange, FL 32127<br \/>Hours: 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.FASTSIGNS Holly Hill<br \/>1027 N. Nova Road, Suite 109, Holly Hill, FL 32117<br \/>Hours: 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.The Nucleus Orchestra<br \/>9521 Orange Blossom Trail, Suite 118, Orlando, FL 32837<br \/>Hours: 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Central Florida<br \/>505 Deltona Blvd., Suite 103, Deltona, FL 32724<br \/>Hours: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.Edward Jones \u2013 Justin McCulloch, CFP<br \/>2982 S. Ridgewood Ave., Edgewater, FL 32141<br \/>Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.Kingdom Movement<br \/>6881 Kingspointe Parkway, Orlando, FL 32819<br \/>Hours: 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.Parva<br \/>1330 N. Woodland Blvd., DeLand, FL 32724<br \/>Hours: 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Central Florida collects donations for Venezuela after devastating earthquakes Updated: 3:28 PM EDT Jun 26, 2026 Editorial Standards&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":321003,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[28,30,29],"class_list":["post-321002","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-florida","tag-florida","tag-florida-headlines","tag-florida-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/321002","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=321002"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/321002\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/321003"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=321002"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=321002"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=321002"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}