According to the local government, located in the Aveiro district and the Porto Metropolitan Area, the measure was unanimously approved during a meeting of the municipal executive (comprising seven members from the PSD, three from the PS, and one from Chega). The funds will be distributed on the ground by Cáritas and Oikos, the institutions designated by the Portuguese government as capable of properly managing such resources.

“We stand with the Venezuelan people and with the Portuguese and Feira natives living in Venezuela,” states Amadeu Albergaria, the Mayor of Feira. “Our thoughts are with Venezuela, and ever since the sad news of the earthquake arrived, we have remained in constant contact with our community there,” the mayor emphasises.

Feira’s connection to Venezuela is rooted primarily in history and culture: in the mid-20th century, the country was a major destination for emigrants from Santa Maria da Feira. Since then, the community of Feira natives and their descendants has continued to observe the traditions of their home municipality on Venezuelan soil—most notably by replicating the annual *Festa das Fogaceiras* (Festival of the *Fogaceiras*) across the Atlantic. This festival, held on Feira’s municipal holiday, fulfills a centuries-old religious vow to Saint Sebastian, involving the offering of *fogaças* (traditional sweet breads) in exchange for protection against the Black Death.

“The Santa Maria da Feira community in Venezuela is one of the largest Portuguese communities in the country; having never forgotten their roots or ceased celebrating our culture, they must be able to count on our support during what is the most difficult time they have faced since settling there,” explains Amadeu Albergaria.

According to the United States Geological Survey, the two earthquakes recorded in Venezuela on 24 June occurred less than a minute apart, about 200 kilometres from Caracas; they registered magnitudes of 7.2 and 7.5 on the Richter scale and were followed by hundreds of aftershocks.

The latest official figures indicate that these earthquakes resulted in at least 16,740 injuries and 5,546 deaths. The fatalities include at least 133 Portuguese nationals and individuals of Portuguese descent, while another 21 people of the same background remain missing.

Portugal was one of several European Union countries that sent search and rescue teams to Venezuela to assist in operations to locate and recover people and animals from the rubble.