TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) – A Tallahassee restaurant owner is turning her passion for Venezuelan culture into a mission to help families in her home country following recent earthquakes.<\/p>\n
Lida Yajure, co-owner of VeneBites, grew up in Venezuela before moving to the United States at 17. Years later, she opened VeneBites in Tallahassee to share the flavors of her homeland with the community.<\/p>\n
After watching the devastation unfold from thousands of miles away, Yajure said she knew she wanted to help.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are completely heartbroken. I don\u2019t think anything can express how deeply sad we are about what\u2019s going on in Venezuela,\u201d she said. \u201cIt started with asking what we could do to raise some funds.\u201d <\/p>\n
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To support relief efforts, VeneBites will host \u201cVeneBingo\u201d Saturday. The fundraiser will feature $5 bingo cards, with proceeds benefiting organizations that provide food, clean water, hygiene supplies and medical care to families and children impacted by the disaster.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s been a whole community effort,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Local restaurants, FSU student organizations and community members have joined together to support the fundraiser, helping turn a night of music, food and bingo into a way to help those in need.<\/p>\n
The Venezuelan Student Association will split the proceeds evenly between Caritas Venezuela<\/a> and FUNDANA<\/a>, two organizations providing aid to communities across Venezuela. <\/p>\n VeneBingo starts at 8 p.m. Saturday at the restaurant, located at 217 E 3rd Ave.<\/p>\n To keep up with the latest news as it develops, follow WCTV on Facebook<\/a>, Instagram<\/a>, YouTube<\/a>, Nextdoor<\/a> <\/a>and X<\/a> (Twitter<\/a>).<\/p>\n Have a news tip or see an error? Write to us here<\/a>. Please include the article\u2019s headline in your message.<\/p>\n Be the first to see all the biggest headlines by downloading the WCTV News app. Click here<\/a> to get started.<\/p>\n Copyright 2026 WCTV. All rights reserved.<\/p>\n