Hello. My name is Mauricio Gallego Acosta. I am a Venezuelan immigrant from Rhode Island. Earlier this week, 2 severe earthquakes struck my family's hometown of La Guaira, Venezuela. Over 1,500 people are confirmed dead, and over 68,000 people are missing. This includes my uncle Jovany Acosta, his wife Adrianis Gomez, and his two children Giovana Acosta and Jhovany Acosta. They are presumed dead. This has been one of the worst events ever for my family.

Hundreds of buildings in our community collapsed, and thousands of people have become homeless overnight. My family members have lost all of their belongings; their houses have been completely destroyed along with cars and other possessions. Not to mention the emotional toll of seeing countless loved ones, friends, and family pass away. The Venezuelan government does not have the proper infrastructure in place to deal with a tragedy like this. With your donation, we will be directly working with a team that will be bringing essential goods and supplies to people in need such as medical items, food, medicine, and tools. Additionally, we will be helping to support financially those whose families were most affected, who lost everything. While we can not bring back loved ones, we hope that these donations can make the grieving process easier.

Please consider donating as your contribution will help ease the pain of those who have lost so much, and help the community who has suffered an immense tragedy.