On June 27, 2026, members of Montreal's Venezuelan community gathered at the Arepera du Plateau restaurant in the Plateau Mont‑Royal borough to sort and pack donated supplies destined for victims of recent earthquakes in Venezuela. The volunteers temporarily took over the establishment, converting its kitchen and dining area into a distribution hub for relief materials.
The effort follows a pair of powerful tremors that struck Venezuela on June 24, causing widespread damage and prompting a surge of international aid. Supplies collected from local donors, businesses, and charitable groups arrived in Montreal earlier in the week, and the Arepera du Plateau was identified as a convenient site for organizing the items before they are shipped south.
Volunteers worked in coordinated teams, separating food, medical kits, clothing, and other essentials into clearly labeled packages. The restaurant's staff offered logistical support, allowing the community group to use refrigeration, storage shelves, and the existing layout to streamline the process. By the end of the day, dozens of parcels were prepared for transport to relief agencies operating in Venezuela.
Organizers emphasized the symbolic importance of the project, noting that the Arepera du Plateau, a familiar gathering place for many Venezuelan expatriates, provided a tangible link between the diaspora and those affected back home. The initiative reflects a broader wave of grassroots assistance that has emerged across Canada in response to the June 24 earthquakes, complementing larger humanitarian operations coordinated by national and international bodies.