By Gary Lee
Venezuela is currently grappling with a severe humanitarian crisis following two significant earthquakes resulting in a rising death toll hovering around 5,000 at the time of writing. The devastation has left many thousands more injured and displaced.
The impact of these natural disasters intensifies the challenges faced by the Venezuelan population, highlighting the urgent need for humanitarian assistance and support to address the overwhelming consequences of this tragedy.
The impact is felt worldwide, and people from all over the world have responded.
The recent fundraiser at Papelon Footscray on 5 July exemplifies the profound beauty of community solidarity, as thousands united to support the relief efforts for Venezuela. People donated ingredients, baked goods, art, money and their time to raise awareness and fundraise.
This event, led by Papelon and the Venezuelan Association of Australia (VAA), not only highlights the generosity of individuals but also showcases the collective strength that emerges when people come together for a common cause.
The queue at Papelon began to form quickly around 11am, becoming quite overwhelming as it stretched from Barkly Street to Leeds Street, nearly reaching Footscray Station at one point. This sparked excitement, leading to many conversations on the streets (‘what’s going on?’) as Footscray truly came to life. This generated even more interest from the curious wanting to contribute.
The event itself had many moving parts. There were arepas on the grill, four types of fillings (including a vegetarian beans option) being replenished regularly, multiple desserts and mountains of cheese at any given time.
DJs were playing music all day, with singers, musicians, lots of dancing, as well as plenty of selfies, high fives, hugs, and embraces.
At the end of the night, through the sale of more than 2,000 arepas and generous donations on the fundraising link, this event raised over $45,000. More than just the money, the occasion brought people together at a very challenging time.
For those interested to donate to the cause, please visit papelonmelbourne.com for more details.
“On Sunday, we showed—clearly and powerfully—that we are not alone. Not as Venezuelans, not as Hispanics, and not as migrants. Thank you to every person who came, donated, bought an arepa, shared a kind word, or gave us a heartfelt hug. Every gesture reminded us that even when we are far from home, we are still a community. Venezuela, we are with you. Every contribution, no matter the size, made a real difference. Thank you to everyone who stood with Venezuela and helped make this possible.”
Reveka Hurtado, Papelon
“This entire initiative was fuelled by pure community effort. We are completely overwhelmed by how the community volunteers organised themselves to make all this possible, with the association acting as the vehicle to help accomplish it. For us, there was a profound sense of pride and solidarity in seeing the Venezuelan community in Melbourne work together, and the wider community gather in support. To our community in the West, thank you for extending your generosity, supporting the fundraising initiatives to help our people recover from these devastating earthquakes, and for embracing us during one of our toughest moments in the history of Venezuela”
Venezuelan Association of Australia (VAA)
“Being Venezuelan and being so far away from our families can be devastating, especially in moments such as this. The Arepazo helped us feel closer to our country, to our people and gave us a way to give back to our brothers and sisters. Personally, the best part of the experience was connecting to so many migrants, both the volunteers and the supporters. I have lived far away from my family for over 10 years now, and having people to share my story and hear theirs was one of the best gifts the event gave me”
Andrea Rodriguez, Volunteer
