Despite the global pandemic our mission of Helping Others- Aid for Venezuela, remains strong. Let’s talk about who we help, why we help and how to help.
Hi friends
Today I wanted to re-share a cause that has been near to my heart and my family for some time. I first introduced our Aid for Venezuela efforts back on February 6th 2017. Three years in and our mission to feed starving families in Venezuela remains strong . This has been possible thanks to the many who have donated and volunteered their time to our effort along the way. So today let’s chat about who we are still helping, how we are helping, and the new organizations and volunteers making it happen on the ground.
I was born in Venezuela and 95% of my family still live there. It is a country with so much to offer, kind people and an immense natural beauty. Venezuela has been battered for years from an economic crisis, hyperinflation, and political chaos. The country’s humanitarian and economic crisis has now been exacerbated by the arrival of coronavirus.
In a country where people are living day to day to simply obtain food, Covid-19, the spread of misinformation and the quarantine orders from the government has made it near impossible for many to find food. Water shortages are widespread in both neighborhood and hospitals making even the simple task of washing hands non-existence and thus the infection highly transmissible.
Since 2017, we have sent more than 12,000 pounds of food donations, medicine, and baby formula to primarily to families, churches, non-profit organizations, and hospitals. Once the food and donations reach Venezuela, we have a team of helpers that distribute all of the supplies to feed children, pregnant women, families and elderly people. Additionally, we send food to a few locals that have dedicated their lives to helping others by cooking and handing out meals to hungry people that have been surviving off of food found in dumpsters. Packaging and shipping is paid for with your donations as well as our Aid for Venezuela GoFundme funds. As the boxes are shipped out of Spring, TX are fortunate to receive food and monetary donations from Klein ISD, and our friends in Texas.
Our efforts are still very much focused on helping starving families surviving from scarps collected from in dumpsters while also living without water (currently only 25% of Venezuelan receive water). Recently we have partnered with 2 organizations helping Casa Hogar en Valencia (A Children’s Home) and Comedor San Francisco de Asís (an organization for hunger relief) to feed starving children, pregnant women and some adults.
Casa Hogar was created by a family whose son battled leukemia and is now a 3rd year medical student. Their main focus is to feed hungry children in impoverished communities as well as pregnant mothers. They operate strictly on donations and have gone from feeding 25 children in their Children’s Home to upwards of 80 people daily due to the current need.
Comedor San Francisco de Asís is a volunteer driven effort providing food, masks and basic hygiene supplies to hundreds of children as well as going door to door to feed those in the most dire situations. El Comedor receives food boxes funded by your donations which they use to make nourishing soups and meals to feed as many people as possible.
While much of the world has stopped, our mission of feeding as many children and families never stops. That’s why I’m asking for your help to donate and/or share our efforts with others.
To donate, please visit Aid for Venezuela GoFundme. To donate food in the Houston, TX area or mail food donations to our Houston location, please send me a message directly at val@sweetpoppyseed.com. Please note all food donations are possible only in Houston Texas and the surrounding suburbs. Please feel free to reach out via val@sweetpoppyseed.com for all food or monetary donations questions.
Thank you for reading and for your continued support.
Originally posted 2020-08-10 07:48:09.
Leave a Reply