Published: June 29, 2026
A Community United: Weston Comes Together for Venezuela
When tragedy strikes, communities have a remarkable way of coming together. This weekend, the Weston community witnessed an extraordinary display of compassion as hundreds of South Florida residents united to support those affected by the devastating earthquakes in Venezuela.
Following the recent earthquakes, Venezuelan community members across South Florida quickly organized donation drives to help those impacted. This weekend, one of those grassroots collection efforts took place at Weston Town Center, led by community volunteer Fabiana Jiménez and a dedicated group of Venezuelan volunteers committed to helping their homeland.
On Friday, June 26, Americas Community Center Founder Fabio A. Andrade and Executive Director Alexis Pulido along with other volunteers met with Fabiana to learn more about the collection effort and offer their support. It was decided that Americas Community Center would assist with the logistics of the parking lot by helping direct traffic and coordinate the flow of vehicles through the drive-up donation site.
The response from the community was nothing short of extraordinary.
Originally scheduled to accept donations from 12:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., the overwhelming generosity of the community filled the collection capacity much sooner than expected. By approximately 3:00 p.m., organizers made the difficult decision to stop accepting donations in order to safely organize, load, and transport the incredible volume of supplies to Global Empowerment Mission (GEM) in Doral, where they will continue the international relief effort.
Every volunteer played an essential role in the success of the day. Whether collecting donations, directing traffic, loading vehicles, or assisting families, each person contributed to making this effort organized, safe, and impactful. Your time, energy, and compassion made a real difference.
We also extend our sincere appreciation to Weston Town Center for graciously allowing the community to utilize its space for this important humanitarian effort. Their support made it possible for volunteers to serve the community in an organized and respectful manner.
It is important to recognize that this collection was truly a community-led initiative. A passionate group of Venezuelan volunteers came together to organize this effort, inspiring hundreds of residents to respond with incredible generosity. Americas Community Center was honored to support these volunteers by helping manage traffic and logistics, ensuring the operation remained safe, orderly, and respectful of the many families enjoying Weston Town Center on a Sunday afternoon.
For those who would like to continue supporting the relief efforts, we encourage everyone to follow Global Empowerment Mission (GEM) on Instagram. GEM continues to provide the most up-to-date information regarding urgently needed items, items they are no longer accepting, and regular updates on how donations are being processed, transported, and distributed to families in Venezuela.
The donations collected Sunday at Weston Town Center are being delivered directly to GEM’s warehouse in Doral, where they will become part of the ongoing humanitarian response.
Today’s effort was a beautiful reminder that when a community comes together with compassion and a shared purpose, hope travels far beyond the place where it begins. Weston demonstrated that spirit through the dedication of its volunteers, the generosity of its residents, and the collective desire to stand with the people of Venezuela during one of their most difficult moments.
One of the most inspiring aspects of the day was witnessing how this truly became a collective community effort. Beyond the hundreds of residents who generously donated, local businesses throughout Weston stepped forward to support the volunteers and ensure the collection could continue running smoothly.
When the original collection area reached capacity and organizers could no longer safely accept additional donations, neighboring businesses immediately stepped in to help. Panna graciously opened its doors so donations could continue to be received, allowing generous community members who were still arriving to contribute to the relief effort rather than being turned away.
Throughout the day, La Birra Bar generously provided meals and refreshments to the volunteers who had been working tirelessly for hours in the South Florida heat. Their kindness was a reminder that supporting a humanitarian effort goes beyond donations—it is also about caring for those serving others.
We are also deeply grateful for the support shown by businesses across Weston, including Negroni Weston, FT Track Worldwide, CC Group of Florida Corp., and many others who offered assistance in different ways throughout the day. Every act of generosity, whether large or small, contributed to the success of this community-wide effort.
By the end of the day, the impact of this grassroots initiative was remarkable. Approximately 500 boxes of donated supplies were collected and loaded into four trucks, all of which were transported directly to Global Empowerment Mission (GEM) in Doral to begin the next stage of the humanitarian relief effort for Venezuela.
What began as a grassroots initiative led by members of the Venezuelan community quickly became something much larger—a testament to the compassion, generosity, and unity that define our community. Residents, volunteers, local businesses, community organizations, and partners all came together with one shared mission: to help the people of Venezuela during their time of greatest need.
This is what community looks like. When each person contributes in their own way, the impact becomes immeasurable.
