Lilburn volunteers pack supplies for Venezuela earthquake victims
Georgia businesses unite to aid Venezuela relief efforts
Volunteers swarmed a Lilburn shopping plaza Sunday afternoon, packing truckloads of critical supplies for families devastated by two massive earthquakes in Venezuela.
LILBURN, Ga. - Volunteers packed countless boxes of donations at a Lilburn shopping plaza on Sunday to help victims of two massive earthquakes in Venezuela.
The disaster has killed more than 1,400 people so far, leaving people without food, clothes or shelter.
Lilburn relief operation
What we know:
It was all hands on deck at Plaza Las Americas in Lilburn as truck after truck arrived filled with critical supplies. Dozens of volunteers spent hours separating water, food, medicine and clothes into specific categories.
The metro Atlanta-based nonprofit Principito Foundation organized the Sunday afternoon effort.
The donations came from dozens of businesses, including restaurants spread out across Georgia, that gathered items on Saturday.
Volunteers used hand trucks to move pallets and wrapped boxes together to secure them for the long journey.
The foundation is partnering with the Global Empowerment Mission to transport the supplies into Venezuela safely. Organizers said the donations will be trucked to Miami first thing Monday morning.
"There's a lot of people that lost everything," said Gabriela Pina with the Principito Foundation. "They lost their home. They lost everything, and there's a lot going on over there. We need to help as much as possible, and that's not going to be just for today, tomorrow, this week. It's going to be for a long time."
What we don't know:
It remains unclear exactly how long it will take for the shipments to arrive in the hands of local victims once they leave Miami.
Foundation community support
What they're saying:
Principito Foundation founder Soraly Arteaga explained that the organization is seeking more support for her home country.
"Kids don't have anything," she said. "Don't have food, don't have clothes, don't have a building because everything is destroyed."
Pina noted that they were also accepting walk-up donations from community members on Sunday.
"Most of the trucks are coming from those centers, from those restaurants that gathered yesterday," Pina said. "Most of them also bring in donations because we are accepting donations today."
Organizers expressed deep appreciation for the massive turnout in metro Atlanta.
"My heart is full," Pina said. "Thank you so much. We so appreciate it. We are so grateful. I'm so happy with the people helping. This means a lot, so we just need to help and be here for the Venezuelan people."
What you can do:
The Principito Foundation launched a GoFundMe fundraiser to help provide direct relief to families struggling in Venezuela.
RELATED:
- 2 massive earthquakes rock Venezuela in less than a minute
- See the photos: Before and after satellite images show aftermath of deadly earthquakes in Venezuela
The Source: The information in this story was gathered by FOX 5's Rey Llerena, who interviewed Principito Foundation founder Soraly Arteaga and foundation member Gabriela Pina.