Basking Ridge Family, Students Rally For Earthquake-Hit Hometown In Colombia

Ramirez's family is raising $50,000 for tarps and tents and is working directly with Balboa's fire department, which documented house by house where help is needed.

"My family and I have always stood on where we come from — that's not something you put down when it gets hard," Ramirez said to Patch. "Coffee is never just coffee to us. Every bag we sell in New Jersey starts with a farmer in Colombia, and Reysol still depends on those hands today. So when the people who make all of this possible behind the scenes are the ones hurting the most, we don't get to look away."

She added, "We owe them. For us here, this is news that lasts a few days. For Balboa, it's years of building back. Spreading the word is free, and even five dollars is real — it goes to the GoFundMe, or it ships one of the boxes we already have packed and waiting."

She said her team's volunteers distribute the aid on the ground and post photos and receipts publicly.

Among the volunteers are students.

Ridge High School has approved the family's student volunteer program, and students are earning service hours by packing relief boxes at the family's Plainfield warehouse.

Physical donations have already been collected and packed, and the current focus is paying to get those boxes to Colombia.

Readers can sponsor a shipping box by calling or texting 908-561-3047.