Queens Borough President Donovan Richards launched a donation drive at his office in Kew Gardens to support humanitarian needs of Venezuelan citizens following last month’s massive twin earthquakes that killed thousands of residents.
His Queens Borough Hall office, located at 120-55 Queens Blvd., is accepting critical items including canned and nonperishable food, diapers, medical supplies, unexpired over-the-counter medication, feminine hygiene products, flashlights and tents.
Donations will be accepted now through Friday, July 31, and can be dropped off in a box located on the first floor of the building next to the security desk in the lobby, which can be accessed from the building’s main entrance on Queens Boulevard. The lobby is open 24 hours a day.
Queens Borough Hall can be reached on public transportation via the Q10, Q37, Q45, Q46, Q48, Q60 or Q80 bus lines or by taking the E or F subway lines to the Kew Gardens-Union Turnpike station.
After the donation drive concludes, supplies will be transported and distributed to those in need in the weeks and months to come.
“The visuals of collapsed buildings and entire neighborhoods reduced to rubble across wide swaths of Venezuela are shocking and heartbreaking,” Richards said. “We know members of our proud Venezuelan community here in Queens, many of whom have had loved ones impacted by these earthquakes, are hurting too.”
On June 24, the earthquakes struck northern and central Venezuela within one minute of each other — the first measuring a 7.2 on the Richter scale and the second being a 7.5-magnitude quake.
The natural disaster marked Venezuela’s largest earthquakes in more than 100 years, with twin tremors inflicting catastrophic damage that caused hundreds of buildings to collapse, including in the capital of Caracas.
As of this week, at least 3,500 people have been confirmed dead. According to reporting by PBS, more than 16,700 were injured, thousands have been left homeless, and over 30,000 more remain missing.
“Now, it’s time for Queens to do what it does best and uplift those in their time of need,” Richards continued. “If you are able, I encourage you to donate whatever supplies you can spare so we can support our South American neighbors following this devastating disaster.”
Organizations co-sponsoring Richards’ relief drive include Aid for Life, Iglesia Einsof Aprendiendo De Jesús, Lions Club International, New York City Clergy, the NYPD Hispanic Society and the Puerto Rican Bar Association.