{"id":324323,"date":"2026-06-30T06:20:14","date_gmt":"2026-06-30T06:20:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/324323\/"},"modified":"2026-06-30T06:20:14","modified_gmt":"2026-06-30T06:20:14","slug":"helping-venezuela-doral-based-global-empowerment-mission-runs-distribution-center-in-valencia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/324323\/","title":{"rendered":"Helping Venezuela: Doral-based Global Empowerment Mission runs distribution center in Valencia"},"content":{"rendered":"

DORAL, Fla. \u2014 After they stopped accepting donations on Monday afternoon in Doral, dozens of Global Empowerment Mission<\/a> volunteers clapped because more help was on the way<\/a> to the devastated coastal towns of Venezuela.<\/p>\n

In northern Venezuela\u2019s state of La Guaira, there was also applause after search-and-rescue teams pulled someone out alive from the rubble five days after the 7.2- and 7.5-magnitude earthquakes. <\/p>\n

The displaced from Caracas to Catia La Mar, Macuto, and Caraballeda were in fear after a 4.6-magnitude aftershock on Monday morning. In Doral, the GEM team had them in mind with every victory. <\/p>\n

\u201cGEM will be the distribution center and coordinator throughout Venezuela,\u201d said Michael Kesti, a lobbyist with the Government Relations Group<\/a> who leads GEM\u2019s government relations efforts. <\/p>\n

Michael Capponi<\/a>, a former nightlife entrepreneur who founded GEM to send aid to Haiti after the 2010<\/a> earthquake, shared updates from a warehouse in Valencia, the third-largest city in Venezuela. <\/p>\n

From the cars at a drop-off drive-thru area outside the GEM warehouse, at 1850 NW 84th Ave<\/a>., in Doral, to the sorting and packing areas inside, groups of GEM donors and volunteers kept the aid flowing. <\/p>\n

Helping Venezuela: Global Empowerment Mission leads relief effort <\/p>\n

\u201cAll of these supplies are getting directly to families in Venezuela without any interference of the Venezuelan government,\u201d said Doral Mayor Christi Fraga, who partnered with GEM to run drop-off locations<\/a> that feed the warehouse in Doral. <\/p>\n

The U.S. State Department and the U.S. Southern Command were working with the administration of Delcy Rodr\u00edguez, Venezuela\u2019s acting president since Jan. 5, to keep the aid from the U.S. flowing. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s really that leadership role in coordinating flights with the humanitarian supplies, making sure they can get in, they can get unloaded, and on the ground,\u201d said Mignon Houston, a spokeswoman for the U.S. State Department.<\/p>\n

The USS Fort Lauderdale<\/a> was delivering aid in La Guaira. NASA released a map <\/a>showing a satellite view of the estimated 58,870 buildings that the earthquakes either damaged or destroyed. Rescue teams were still asking for silence as they searched.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith every hour that passes, we feel our hopes fading. Many tell us that we\u2019re searching in places where there are no longer any possibilities of finding people alive. However, many Venezuelans have asked us not to give up, and we haven\u2019t,\u201d Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele wrote in a statement on Monday night<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Gianluca Rampolla, a United Nations coordinator, reported<\/a> the UN had agreed to procure 10,000 body bags for the Venezuelan government. <\/p>\n

Helping Venezuela: Rescues give search teams hope amid devastation <\/p>\n

\u201cI have my sister over there,\u201d said NFL star Andr\u00e9s Borregales<\/a>, a GEM volunteer in Doral. \u201cThank God, she is OK, but a lot of families aren\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n

To keep the community effort going in South Florida, Borregales had a message for anyone who hasn\u2019t been able to help: \u201cIf all you can donate is a box of soap, that is enough. Do what you can.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Trump administration committed $300 million in aid to Venezuela. The Miami Marlins announced<\/a> a $100,000 donation to GEM on Monday. <\/p>\n

Miami-Dade Mayor Daniela Levine Cava, who has volunteered at GEM in Doral, released a statement<\/a> on Monday to thank LATAM Airlines and GEM after she and Kesti<\/a> witnessed the departure of a cargo plane. <\/p>\n

\u201cTonight, I was at Miami International Airport as one of the first major humanitarian aid shipments departed for Venezuela,\u201d Levine Cava said in a statement. \u201cOur community has shown extraordinary generosity and humanity in response to this tragedy.\u201d <\/p>\n

Venezuelan opposition leader Mar\u00eda Corina Machado, the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize-winner, released a video on Monday<\/a> saying that she was in Panama City working on her return to Venezuela. \u201cI \u200bam willing to do whatever it takes, speak to whoever I \u200bneed to \u2060speak to, in order to coordinate and serve our people,\u201d Machado said in Spanish. \u201cI am ready and close to Venezuela, and I will do what needs to be done so we meet up there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Helpful list: Aid drop-off locations in South Florida<\/a><\/p>\n

Volunteers keep aid flowing from Doral to Venezuela <\/p>\n

More HELPING VENEZUELA<\/a> coverage <\/p>\n

\"\"Venezuela Earthquake A man sits amid earthquake rubble in La Guaira, Venezuela, Monday, June 29, 2026. (AP Photo\/Matias Delacroix) (Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved) (Matias Delacroix\/AP Photo\/Matias Delacroix) \"\"VENEZUELA A helicopter flies over a search and rescue team at work on Saturday in Catia La Mar, Venezuela. (AP Photo\/Fernando Vergara) (Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved) (Fernando Vergara\/AP Photo\/Fernando Vergara) \"\"AMS-GEN VENEZUELA-SISMOS Residentes y rescatistas buscan entre los escombros dos d\u00edas despu\u00e9s de los sismos que sacudieron La Guaira, Venezuela, el 26 de junio de 2026. (AP Foto\/Mat\u00edas Delacroix) (Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved) (Matias Delacroix\/AP Photo\/Matias Delacroix) \"\"APTOPIX Venezuela Earthquake Rescue workers search through the rubble three days after earthquakes struck Catia La Mar, Venezuela, Saturday, June 27, 2026. (AP Photo\/Fernando Vergara) (Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved) (Fernando Vergara\/AP Photo\/Fernando Vergara) \"\"Venezuela Earthquake Residents and rescue workers search through the rubble two days after an earthquake struck La Guaira, Venezuela, Friday, June 26, 2026. (AP Photo\/Juan Pablo Arraez) (Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved) (Juan Pablo Arraez\/AP Photo\/Juan Pablo Arraez) \"\"Venezuela Survivors walk on Friday near a toy that was abandoned in the rubble of an apartment building in Catia La Mar, Venezuela. (AP Foto\/Fernando Vergara) (Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved) (Fernando Vergara\/AP Photo\/Fernando Vergara) \"\"APTOPIX Venezuela Earthquake Rescue workers aid Daniel Cordero after pulling him from the rubble two days after an earthquake struck Catia la Mar, Venezuela, Friday, June 26, 2026. (AP Photo\/Fernando Vergara) (Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved) (Fernando Vergara\/AP Photo\/Fernando Vergara) \"\"Venezuela Earthquake Venezuelan Police searches through the rubble two days after earthquake struck La Guaira, Venezuela, Friday, June 26, 2026. (AP Photo\/Ariana Cubillos) (Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved) (Ariana Cubillos\/AP Photo\/Ariana Cubillos) \"\"APTOPIX Venezuela Earthquake Rescue workers place Daniel Cordero on a stretcher after pulling him from the rubble two days after an earthquake struck Catia la Mar, Venezuela, Friday, June 26, 2026. (AP Photo\/Fernando Vergara) (Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved) (Fernando Vergara\/AP Photo\/Fernando Vergara) \"\"Venezuela Earthquake Members of a religious organization distribute food to people affected two days after an earthquake struck La Guaira, Venezuela, Friday, June 26, 2026. (AP Photo\/Ariana Cubillos) (Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved) (Ariana Cubillos\/AP Photo\/Ariana Cubillos) <\/p>\n

Copyright 2026 by WPLG Local10.com – All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"DORAL, Fla. \u2014 After they stopped accepting donations on Monday afternoon in Doral, dozens of Global Empowerment Mission…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":324324,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[225,227,226],"class_list":["post-324323","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-hialeah","tag-hialeah","tag-hialeah-headlines","tag-hialeah-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/324323","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=324323"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/324323\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/324324"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=324323"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=324323"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=324323"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}