Venezuelan community groups and businesses in North Texas continue to send aid to their home country after . Two back-to-back quakes killed an estimated 1,500 people and injured thousands of others, with many still trapped or unaccounted for.
Maria Fernanda Freites, known as 鈥淏eba鈥� to her friends, didn鈥檛 waste time in organizing efforts to send help home.
She and a group of women got together to cook food such as sopa de pollo and chuletas de puerco, which they鈥檙e giving out in exchange for donations 鈥� like non-perishable foods, medical supplies, clothes and shoes, and personal hygiene products.
鈥淎ll the people that have helped us have shared what they have in their heart,鈥� Freites said, as she chopped vegetables in her kitchen. 鈥淲e鈥檝e sent the donations to Venezuela and we have people in there helping us distribute food, and get water and medical supplies into peoples鈥� hands and hospitals.鈥�
Freites told 四虎影院 in Spanish that she has paused her work as the owner of a nail salon to focus on these efforts. She and her friends have been working almost nonstop since news of the earthquakes.
She said she will send anything she鈥檚 able to and is planning to continue to help as much as she can for as long as she can. Local delivery businesses are collaborating to help get the supplies there faster via plane, she said.
Freites, who came to the U.S. three years ago, is from Caracas, near where the earthquakes struck. She said while her family is accounted for, some family members of her friends and clients remain missing.
鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot of people that are lost. We are working to help save everyone that we can,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e鈥檝e been in agony for the last 72 hours.鈥�
Milagros Coromoto Martinez Oropeza is from the state of Apure, near the northern part of Venezuela. She stopped at Freites鈥� home to find comfort around friends.
鈥淚鈥檓 devastated. My heart and soul are in pieces,鈥� she told 四虎影院 in Spanish. 鈥淚 have my family on my mother鈥檚 side who were affected. My uncle died and his sons are missing. They still haven't given us any news. This is devastating.鈥�
Oropeza, who has been in the U.S. since 2018, said it鈥檚 Venezuelan people throughout the world who are making efforts to help people affected by the earthquakes 鈥� not the government, which was under the rule of Nicolas Maduro until the U.S. topped him earlier this year.
鈥淪ometimes I cry and it gives me agony that we Venezuelans don鈥檛 deserve this,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e coming out of a dictatorship, and just when we think we are getting on our feet, something devastating happens.鈥�
Freites said their efforts were the least they could do in this time of uncertainty and despair.
鈥淲e are all doing this to help our country, our people,鈥� she said. 鈥淏ecause Venezuela is not millions of people. We are one person, and we will always be there for one another.鈥�
Priscilla Rice is 四虎影院鈥檚 communities reporter. Got a tip? Email her at price@kera.org.
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