Natacha Casal
•6/30/2026
Monkey Bar in Cape Coral is collecting donations to help those impacted by two recent earthquakes in Venezuela, with contributions pouring in from the local community.
Juan Rincon, from Monkey Bar, shared the personal connection behind the effort.
"So my family's from Colombia. They have friends and family that were affected by the earthquake. We also have employees from Venezuela that work here that also have friends and family affected by the earthquake. So my mom wanted to do something to help out the community and help out Venezuela," Rincon said.
The restaurant has been gathering donations, including clothes, canned goods, baby formula, and medical supplies. Boxes of items are overflowing at the location on Lafayette Street.
Joan Healy, a Cape Coral resident, said she brought in blankets and sheets that were still in their original packaging.
"I think it's wonderful, and we're the type of people that really get together, and we do the best we can for them," Healy said.
Queen Ellis, with Bahnam Builders, explained why she felt compelled to contribute.
"Everyone deals with some form of tragedy. I mean, we're in Florida, right? We can have a hurricane at any time. Anything could happen, and of course we'd want that type of support as well. So it doesn't matter anybody who needs something if we can help, we should all just pitch in if we can help, because we're all blessed," Ellis said.
Monkey Bar will continue accepting donations until July 6.
