Weston nonprofit and Locatel expand aid for Venezuela quake relief

Donations from Hallandale Beach and Miami Gardens are feeding a Weston-based relief network for Venezuela, where two powerful earthquakes left north-central communities scrambling and the death toll kept climbing. Programa de Ayuda Humanitaria Para Venezuela has paired with Locatel to channel cash donations and supplies toward first responders working in the disaster zone.

The earthquakes struck June 24 near Morón with preliminary magnitudes of 7.1 and 7.5, around 6 p.m. local time, and caused widespread damage. As rescue crews searched for survivors, the toll had climbed into the hundreds and was still expected to rise.

Programa de Ayuda Humanitaria Para Venezuela was created on February 12, 2014, and Florida records show the corporation was filed April 17, 2014. Founded by Venezuelan-American Marisol Dieguez, the Weston nonprofit began by collecting donations at South Florida centers for free distribution in Venezuela and works with volunteers in the United States, Panama, Puerto Rico, Europe and Abu Dhabi. The organization supports more than 100 nonprofit institutions in Venezuela and has a three-star rating from Charity Navigator.

The pharmacy and medical equipment supplier, founded in 1979, lists donation locations at 1715 E Hallandale Beach Blvd. in Hallandale Beach and 2440 NE Miami Gardens Dr., Suite 104, in Miami Gardens.

Venezuelan Americans in South Florida have been searching for missing relatives while helping send aid, and businesses and community groups have been collecting donations and supplies as the region responds to the disaster.