Volunteers from Montreal’s Venezuelan community converged at the Arepera du Plateau restaurant on June 27 to sort and package donated items destined for victims of the recent twin earthquakes that battered Venezuela. The effort, organized on the Plateau Mont‑Royal, aimed to move essential supplies from Canada to the disaster zone as quickly as possible.
The gathering was sparked by the severe damage reported after two powerful tremors struck Venezuela on Wednesday, leaving thousands in need of food, water, medical material and other basic necessities. Members of the diaspora, many of whom maintain close ties to families still in the country, responded by pooling resources, coordinating donations and arranging shipment logistics from the restaurant’s back‑of‑house space.
Arepera du Plateau, a well‑known eatery in the Plateau district, served as a central hub where volunteers unpacked contributions, sorted them by category and prepared them for transport. The venue’s staff facilitated the use of kitchen storage areas and provided the necessary infrastructure to keep perishable items safe until they could be loaded onto freight carriers bound for Venezuela.
The initiative reflects a broader pattern of community‑driven relief that has emerged among Montreal’s Venezuelan population since the earthquakes. By mobilizing locally, the volunteers hope to supplement official aid channels and ensure that assistance reaches affected neighborhoods without delay. The coordinated shipment is expected to depart within days, delivering the collected goods to humanitarian partners operating on the ground in Venezuela.