As Venezuela recovers from twin earthquakes that have killed more than 3,800 people and left thousands homeless, a Cape Coral restaurant has become the center of a local relief effort.
Elizabeth Pajares, owner of El Patio on the Cape, along with her sister and members of the Southwest Florida Chicas Latinas group, organized the donation drive after the earthquakes devastated the South American country.
"We said, 'Let's do something. Let's start collecting items so we can send them to Venezuela,'" Pajares said. "Through another organization, we learned there was a shipping container in Miami headed to Venezuela, so we teamed up with them and started sending everything there."
Within days, a party room inside the restaurant had been transformed into a collection site. Diapers, nonperishable food, pet supplies and hygiene products took over the space. The effort quickly expanded after members of Temple Beth Shalom learned about the drive.
"We had seen the terrible devastation that was going on in Venezuela and knew we had to do something," congregant Lynne Laufer said. "We got in touch with Elizabeth after hearing she was collecting donations."
Soon, members of the congregation began delivering carloads of supplies, adding to the growing stockpile. But while collecting donations has been successful, getting them to Venezuela remains the biggest obstacle.
"We still have a lot of items," Pajares said. "We're hoping someone comes forward and says they have room to help us ship them. We'd gladly bring everything to them."
The supplies still need to be transported to Miami, where they can be loaded onto a shipping container bound for Venezuela. Pajares is asking anyone who can help transport the donations to contact El Patio on the Cape.
"It's very important to help each other," Laufer said. "It's not just about being Jewish or Catholic. It's about being human. When people need help, you help them."
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