Florida Group Sends 688 Boxes of Aid to Venezuela

When Lorena Camacho arrived at her Sanford office each morning, she never knew what she'd find waiting outside the door. More often than not, boxes of donated supplies sat on the doorstep, left by community members who wanted to help Venezuelan families facing a humanitarian emergency.

From June 26 through July 19, Venezolanos en Sanford became a hub of hope. Volunteers spent countless hours receiving, sorting, and organizing food, hygiene products, clothing, and medical supplies destined for families in crisis thousands of miles away.

The donations never stopped coming. Collection sites sprouted across Central Florida, from Sanford to Kissimmee to Apopka, as businesses, schools, and community centers opened their doors to accept supplies.

"The community never stopped helping," said Camacho, Vice President of Venezolanos en Sanford. "Every donation represented a person or family who wanted to contribute."

Local restaurants Parva Sanford and Zaza Restaurant kept volunteers fueled by providing lunch during the long sorting sessions. Organizations like Central Florida Preparatory School and Powers House Gym became collection points where neighbors could drop off items.

The numbers tell a powerful story. The campaign resulted in 688 boxes of humanitarian aid coordinated through multiple partner organizations: 98 boxes through Nona House Foundation, 338 through the Hispanic Chamber of Central Florida, 220 through Iglesia Redimidos por Dios, and 32 boxes of medical supplies through VAMA.

The Ripple Effect

This wasn't just about boxes crossing borders. Venezolanos en Sanford also connected donors with Un Bocadito para Venezuela in Fort Lauderdale, expanding the reach of Central Florida's generosity even further.

"These 688 boxes represent much more than a number," said Jaime Navarro, President of Venezolanos en Sanford. "Behind every box were volunteers, families, businesses, and organizations working toward the same purpose."

The campaign showcased what grassroots organizing can accomplish when a community decides to act. No single person or organization could have shipped nearly 700 boxes of supplies alone, but together, ordinary people created an extraordinary impact.

When crisis strikes somewhere in the world, it's easy to feel helpless from thousands of miles away, but Central Florida proved that distance doesn't diminish compassion.