With family and friends living in Venezuelan, there were always news of ridiculous products that were no longer available.
It has gone as far as toilet paper at times. It was hard to go about daily lives without feeling like there was more that could be done.
So we started small, buying products to make their lives easier: things like deodorant, toothpaste, shampoo, conditioner, pads. Things we can't imagine not being able to get.
Alicia was sending funds to a senior center, Sara was sending boxed of toiletries and food to family and friends. Along the way, they found amazing people helping out locally.
The mail system is unreliable and corruption is widespread. Fedex, for example, can't deliver to Venezuela...
But the first box arrived in perfect condition in about 3 weeks. Then the second. Then the third. We sent to family and friends, they asked if they could give some away. We set up two facebook pages... and realized we needed to be careful about putting these people at risk for receiving donations. And we expanded, and expanded...
Soon, we were reaching more people.
Sara found a great donor of medicines and vitamins.
Alicia judged Code for Venezuela
We started tee-shirt drives and facebook campaigns but it still wasn't enough to really make a difference.
We have started a list of reliable contact points to send donations to.
We also learned NOT to ask for used food, furniture or pantry items. We don not have the capacity to sort out and shipping is expensive.
We run a lean and efficient organization.
We both work, study and enjoy life, Box of Life gives us a sense of purpose and gives Venezuelans the opportunity to received much needed help:
food, medicines, vitamins, toiletries.
We have grown to We are small, but there is a ton we can accomplish.
It's time we took it to the next level. Will you join us?
