SWFL Latin and Jewish Communities Send Aid to Venezuela

JOINING US. ACCORDING TO U.S. CENSUS NUMBERS, THE POPULATION OF VENEZUELAN RESIDENTS HAS GROWN IN SOUTHWEST FLORIDA IN THE PAST DECADE WHEN EARTHQUAKES ROCKED THE COUNTRY 2 AND A HALF WEEKS AGO, KILLING ALMOST 4,000 PEOPLE. THE CALLS FOR HELP WERE FELT IN OUR STATE AS WELL. THESE ARE SCENES FROM AFTER THE QUAKE STRUCK THE REGION ON JUNE 24TH IN SOUTHWEST FLORIDA, A LATIN AMERICAN RESTAURANT AND A JEWISH SYNAGOGUE. IT HAVE JOINED FORCES REACHING ACROSS THE SEA TO GIVE BACK WGCU NEWS CULTURE AND CONNECTIONS. REPORTER ELIZABETH ANDARGE SHOWS US THEIR WORK AND WHY IT IS FAR FROM OVER. >> IN JUNE, A POWERFUL EARTHQUAKE TORE THROUGH VENEZUELA KILLING MORE THAN 3,000 PEOPLE. HUNDREDS ARE STILL MISSING. WATCHING IT UNFOLD WAS TOO CHALLENGING FOR EL ON THE CAPE RESTAURANT OWNER ELIZABETH PUT R US. >> LET'S DO SOMETHING WHEN WE START COLLECTING ITEMS SO WEAK TO START SENDING TOO MANY SWIN CASH INTO ANOTHER ORGANIZATION. WE FOUND OUT THAT THERE WAS A CONTAINER IN MIAMI THAT THEY WITH FILLING UP TO SEND TO A NICE WIN THAT SO WE TEAMED UP AND WE SEND >> WITHIN DAYS, A LARGE ROOM WITH HER RESTAURANT TURNED INTO A RELIEF WAREHOUSE FOR PEOPLE AFFECTED DIAPERS, FOOD, PET SUPPLIES, HYGIENE PRODUCTS, ALL PACKED AND READY TO GO UNDER A VENEZUELAN FLAG ON THE WALL. WORD TRAVELED FAST ALL THE WAY ACROSS TOWN TO LIVE LAU FOR HIS CONGREGATION, TEMPLE. BETH SHALOM. >> WE HAD SEEN ON THE NEWS THAT TERRIBLE DEVASTATION THAT WAS GOING ON AND VENEZUELA BETWEEN THE 2 EARTHQUAKES AND KNEW THAT WE HAD TO DO SOMETHING. WHATEVER IT WAS. SO WE HAD GOTTEN IN TOUCH WITH ELIZABETH FOR MILK HAD IT. WE AGREED THAT SHE WAS DOING A COLLECTION. >> NOPE ATTORNEY SAYS EFFORT TO HELP WAS SPREADING TEMPLE. BETH SHALOM STARTED GATHERING ITEMS AS WELL. THEN SHOWING UP WITH CAR LOADS OF SUPPLIES, DONATIONS EVENTUALLY PILED UP. AND THUS FAR AS COLLECTING AT ALL TURN SO THAT WAS THE EASY PART. >> WE STILL HAVE A LOT OF ITEMS THAT WE HOLD. A BLESSING COMES FROM ANYWHERE AND TELLS US, HEY, I HAVE A LITTLE SMALL SPOT OPEN THAT, YOU KNOW, WE CAN SHIP SOME STUFF. I WOULD GLADLY BRING IT TO THEM. >> EVERYTHING STILL HAS TO GET TO MIAMI TO CATCH A SHIPPING CONTAINER ALREADY BOUND FOR VENEZUELA. THEY'RE ASKING ANYONE WITH A CONNECTION TO REACH OUT TO THEM DIRECTLY. >> I FEEL THAT. >> NOT JUST BECAUSE SOME TO US, BUT BECAUSE SOME HUMAN BEING THAT WE NEED TO HELP EACH OTHER. AND I ALWAYS SAY THAT THOSE THAT HAVE HAVE SICK KIDS TO THOSE THAT DON'T AND THEY NEED OUR HELP DESPERATELY THE PEOPLE AT THE COLLECTING THE PEOPLE AND THE 18 FLORES OF RUBBLE AND THEY WERE TAKING THEM OUT AND THEY NEEDED HELP. AND IF WE DON'T HELP EACH OTHER, THEN WHO WOULD HELP THEM? >> FOR WGCU NEWS, I'M ELISABETH ANDARGE >> FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE