The Venezuelan-American influencer Lele Pons has become one of the most visible faces of the humanitarian response in Miami following the devastating earthquakes that shook Venezuela on June 24, as she was seen volunteering at the warehouse of the organization Global Empowerment Mission (GEM) in Doral, Florida.
On Monday, June 29, NBC South Florida filmed her packing boxes of supplies—food, hygiene items, and water—destined to be shipped on cargo flights to Venezuela. Dressed in a yellow safety vest and a blue cap with the phrase "KINDNESS CHANGES EVERYTHING," the content creator did not pose for the cameras: she was working.
The NBC South Florida video amassed 3.5 million views and over 601,000 likes on TikTok. The NBC6 post on Instagram exceeded 154,000 likes. The video that Pons shared on his TikTok account with the message "IT'S ONLY THE BEGINNING" reached 1.1 million views and 180,600 likes.
The audience's reaction was overwhelmingly positive. "You can really see the difference when someone genuinely wants to help. This girl is working hard, completely unconcerned about her hair or makeup, fully committed to the cause," one user wrote in a comment that received over 6,000 likes.
Other users rated her as a role model for her generation. "We need more women like @lelepons who aren’t just looking to show off or gain followers; she is a prime example to follow," noted one. "The real influencers," summarized another.
In her statements before the cameras, Pons was straightforward about the need for support not to dwindle in the early days: "They need our help, whether you are Venezuelan or not. And this is just the beginning. It's not that today is Monday and tomorrow we go back to the usual. This is going to take a long time."
He also urged to maintain the effort over time: “My goal is for this to last for months. Let’s not stop, because sometimes we forget. We forget and say, well, that’s enough. I know we can always do more.”
Pons invited people to donate at give.GEM.org and to go to the Doral warehouse from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Additionally, he used his Instagram to connect people in Venezuela who needed help with volunteer groups.
Several users recalled that this commitment is not new. "Let's remember that she was also at the concert to send trucks with food and medicine years ago. She’s an OG influencer supporting her country," wrote another person in a comment that received over 3,600 likes.
The earthquakes on June 24 were the most devastating in Venezuela in over 125 years: two consecutive tremors measuring 7.2 and 7.5 on the Richter scale, occurring just 39 seconds apart, resulted in at least 1,943 deaths and 10,571 injuries according to official figures as of June 30, while the UN estimates that 6.76 million people were affected.
GEM committed between $20 and $35 million in supplies and sent more than 50 tons of humanitarian aid on a LATAM Airlines flight from Miami on June 30. The organization warned about the risk of Venezuelan authorities intercepting the donations and is coordinating with local partners to ensure that the supplies reach those affected directly.
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