WILLIAMSBURG – FOLLOWING TWO MAJOR EARTHQUAKES that devastated Venezuela’s northern regions on June 24, killing more than 2,000 and leaving 50,000 missing, Lulla’s restaurant on Graham Avenue has become one of the metro region’s largest donation hubs for disaster relief efforts. Volunteers have been organizing emergency aid for the struggling country, where hospitals and emergency services remain overwhelmed after years of economic and political turmoil.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani visited on Monday to join Venezuelan New Yorkers, other officials and community members packing food, medicine and other critical supplies.
“In moments like this, it is ordinary people who show us what solidarity looks like. That is exactly what is happening at Lulla’s. New Yorkers are stepping up to care for people they’ve never met because they understand our humanity does not end at our borders,” Mamdani said in a statement.
The mayor also called for the restoration of Temporary Protected Status for Venezuelan immigrants – which the Trump administration is seeking to terminate early – saying that the country is unsafe to return to.
New Yorkers who want to help can volunteer at Lulla’s, 169 Graham Ave. in Brooklyn.
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