His Christian faith and the experience of rebuilding homes and schools in Jamaica after Hurricane Melissa fuel Cesar Guevara’s dreams of reconstruction in northern Venezuela.
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Since the 7.2- and 7.5-magnitude earthquakes struck on June 24 — amid an already existing humanitarian crisis — Guevara has seen the images of pancaked buildings and held on to a hopeful vision.
“I was born in the area that was affected,” said Guevara, who works for Food For the Poor.
The team behind the Christian relief and development nonprofit organization headquartered in Coconut Creek also has a network of believers who support the vision, but the needs are great.
“I have many family members and friends in these areas, so this is personal,” said Guevara, the director of partnerships for Food for the Poor.
As the search and rescue efforts continued and the death toll was increasing in northern Venezuela’s state of La Guaira, a 4.6 magnitude aftershock struck on Monday morning.
“Today we are sending about $20,000 to one of our partners to purchase some items in Venezuela,” Guevara said, as volunteers near him packed care packages with hand-written notes.
The nonprofit was already working with churches, corporations, nongovernmental organizations, and schools, but Guevara welcomed more partners. Each shipment costs between $5,000 to $7,000.
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“One of the most important things is cash donations,” Guevara said. “Cash donations allow us to mobilize large number of containers.”
With hundreds of apartment buildings collapsed or partially collapsed in coastal towns like Caraballeda and Catia La Mar, Guevara was already thinking about how to fund future reconstruction projects.
“We will do the rehabilitation and development,” Guevara said.
While the nonprofit was accepting drop-off donations of nonperishable food and hygiene products, from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday to Friday, at 6401 Lyons Road, in Coconut Creek, the nonprofit’s site was accepting cash donations 24/7.
Food For The Poor’s site has an online catalog with categories that include home assistance, access to running water, and investments in education and micro-enterprises.
The site also has a page for pledge donors, a page to contribute to the Angels of Hope program, a section for the 1982 Legacy Society program, and a monthly donation program.
For more information on how to make a one-time donation or to contribute to the nonprofit’s efforts in Venezuela, visit this page.
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