JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Members of Jacksonville’s Latino community have established a relief collection site at Beaver Chevrolet to gather supplies for victims of a recent earthquake in Colombia.
The collection hub, located at 3494 Philips Highway, Jacksonville, is collecting donations to be driven to Miami. From there, the organization Defensores de la Patria Miami will manage logistics to send the items directly to affected areas in Colombia.
Local volunteers quickly organized the donation site after learning of the earthquake. Michael Bueno, a volunteer assisting with the relief effort, praised the initial community response. “It feels good and it feels nice to see the community coming together,” Bueno said.
Bueno explained that organizers coordinated directly with leadership at the dealership to secure the location. “We spoke to management here at Beaver Chevrolet and we decided to make the dealership one of the drop off or collection centers where we are going to be collecting essential needs,” Bueno said.
Sebastián Cuadros, a local organizer and former truck driver, initiated the effort by asking his employer to host the donation hub. Beaver Chevrolet provided space at the dealership along with a truck to move the gathered goods. Cuadros plans to drive the transport vehicle to South Florida himself.
Organizers are collecting first-aid materials, hygiene items, baby supplies, food, pet supplies and rescue equipment. All donated goods must be new, sealed and unexpired. The drop-off site operates Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
The initiative follows a similar drive organized by local Latino volunteers just over a month ago to help people in Venezuela. Bueno noted that the rapid response during that crisis inspired volunteers to organize again for Colombia.
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