Food For The Poor Sends Emergency Relief to Venezuela as Recovery Needs Grow

COCONUT CREEK, Fla. (July 9, 2026) — Thousands of hygiene kits packed by Food For The Poor (FFTP) volunteers have arrived in Venezuela as the charity expands its earthquake relief effort with additional ocean shipments, family food kits and support for communities facing months of recovery.

The Airlink shipment carried 9,720 hygiene kits destined for families affected by the disaster. It is part of a broader relief operation that includes one ocean container already en route, a second scheduled to sail this week and a third being assembled. Additional air freight shipments are planned weekly over the next five weeks.

“While search-and-rescue efforts are transitioning into recovery, the humanitarian crisis is far from over,” said FFTP President/CEO Ed Raine. “Families will continue facing tremendous challenges in the weeks and months ahead. Our commitment is to stand alongside them throughout that journey.”

As emergency needs shift toward recovery, FFTP is evaluating longer-term needs, including food security and shelter. Volunteers are assembling family food kits using donated and purchased food as humanitarian assessments warn of crisis-level food insecurity in the hardest-hit areas through September. Supplies from multiple vendors, including Goya, have arrived at the charity’s Coconut Creek warehouse, where the kits are being prepared for shipment.

FFTP continues working through trusted partners already serving communities throughout Venezuela, allowing relief supplies to reach families where they are needed most. In addition to emergency medicines and medical supplies from MAP International, the charity has awarded a grant to CADENA International to purchase water filters locally, helping families gain access to safe drinking water.

Support for the relief effort also has come from the Venezuelan-American Chamber of Commerce, which has helped coordinate relief donations from New York, Texas and Georgia.

“We are working with organizations like Food For The Poor because we know the help is going to end up in the hands of the people who need it,” said Leonardo Trechi, president of the Venezuelan-American Chamber of Commerce and vice president of the Chamber’s foundation.

Volunteer operations at the charity’s Coconut Creek headquarters have expanded from two weekday packing sessions to four daily sessions, with two additional Saturday shifts beginning July 11. The expanded schedule will increase production while accelerating the sorting and preparation of donated relief supplies.

More than 12,000 hygiene kits have been packed by 406 volunteers through July 8. Teams also are sorting nearly 170 pallets of donated relief supplies while preparing additional family food kits and future ocean shipments.

The expanded relief effort is being made possible through the generosity of churches, businesses, nonprofit organizations and community groups across South Florida and the U.S, including:

• • 80+ pallets of relief items from New York, Texas, and from Talpa Supermercados in Georgia, coordinated through the Venezuelan-American Chamber of Commerce.
• • 80+ pallets of food, diapers, hygiene supplies, and other essentials from PANNA Group supporters in Weston, Doral and Orlando.
• • 70 pallets of MannaPack meals from Feed My Starving Children.
• • 14 pallets of hygiene supplies from Brother’s Brother Foundation.
• • 2 shipping containers of medicines and medical supplies from MAP International.

Raine said the outpouring of support has inspired everyone involved in the response.

“Every food and hygiene kit packed, every donated item sorted and every gift entrusted to us represents hope for a family that has lost so much,” Raine said. “This response belongs not only to Food For The Poor, but to thousands of compassionate people who are choosing to help their neighbors in Venezuela.”

How to Help

FFTP is asking the public to support its Venezuela earthquake response by:

• • Making a financial gift at foodforthepoor.org/helpvenezuela.
• • Purchasing urgently needed relief supplies through the charity’s Gift Catalog at foodforthepoor.org/venezuelarelief or through the charity’s Amazon list at foodforthepoor.org/venezuelalist
• • Volunteering at FFTP’s Coconut Creek headquarters.
• • Donating approved disaster relief supplies during regular warehouse collection hours.

About Food For The Poor

Food For The Poor, one of the largest international relief and development organizations in the United States, is committed to facilitating paths out of poverty and transforming lives. As an interdenominational Christian ministry, we help families across Latin America and the Caribbean. Our efforts span urgent humanitarian relief and long-term development – from emergency aid and hunger alleviation to education, housing, and economic empowerment. We follow a distinctive approach that integrates faith, multi-sector strategies, and trusted partnerships. Whenever possible, we strive to work at the community level, partnering with local leaders and residents to co-create sustainable solutions that address the multi-dimensional nature of poverty. For more information, please visit foodforthepoor.org.

Michael Turnbell
Communications
954-471-0928
[email protected]