Residents of Aventura and Sunny Isles Beach have a nearby way to help survivors of the devastating Venezuela earthquakes: as of early July, Aventura Mall is serving as a collection point for Global Empowerment Mission, the Doral-based nonprofit flying relief supplies directly to Caracas.
GEM, founded by Michael Capponi, began packing food, water, hygiene supplies, and medical necessities for shipment to Venezuela on Thursday, June 25, one day after twin earthquakes killed more than 1,400 people. The organization's relief page was updated as recently as Wednesday, July 8, confirming the effort remains active.
The back-to-back quakes struck off Venezuela's Caribbean coast on the evening of Wednesday, June 24. The U.S. Geological Survey measured them at magnitudes 7.2 and 7.5, hitting just one minute apart near the community of Morón, about 104 miles west of Caracas. By Saturday, June 27, the Associated Press reported the death toll had reached 1,430.
GEM continues accepting donations at Aventura Mall for ongoing relief flights, according to Patch Aventura reporting on July 2. The local effort launched with a single-day collection drive on June 30, organized by the Sunny Isles Beach Police Department in partnership with Florida Highway Patrol and other agencies.
GEM crews have arrived in Caracas, where the organization set up a distribution hub, according to CBS News Miami. The nonprofit is working alongside its long-term Venezuelan partner, the I Love Venezuela foundation. An Amazon Air flight departed Miami on July 4, carrying what the company described as approximately 500,000 supplies including sleeping bags, tarps, generators, water filters, and diapers, packed in part by Amazon employees volunteering at GEM's Miami facility.
Capponi told the Associated Press that humanitarian organizations face many challenges in Venezuela, including airport closures and the need for fast-tracked visas for aid workers. GEM has previously responded in Venezuela in 2018 and 2019.
South Florida is home to one of the largest Venezuelan diaspora communities in the country, part of the more than 7.7 million people who have left Venezuela during its protracted crisis, according to the AP. GEM also collects donations at Dolphin Mall in Sweetwater.
How to help
- Drop off donations: Aventura Mall (specific hours not confirmed; check GEM's website for current schedule)
- Donate online: globalempowermentmission.org/mission/venezuela-earthquakes
- Volunteer: GEM is seeking South Florida volunteers to help pack supplies at its Doral headquarters
