Food truck owner frets over family's struggle to eat in Venezuela

Maricol Tinea, owner of The Corner Venezuelan food truck, watches with growing desperation the food and medicine shortages in her home country.

Posted 10:55 p.m. Aug 7, 2016 — Updated 11:56 p.m. Aug 7, 2016

In Venezuela, falling oil prices, and, some say, the government's failure, have led to a very troubled economy and food shortages for common people.

Triangle-area relatives, including Maricol Tinea, owner of The Corner Venezuelan food truck, watch with growing desperation the struggle from afar.

"La situacion es bastante dificil," Tinea said, explaining that the situation in her home country is very difficult.

Venezuelans suffer from shortages of food and medicine. Many have crossed into neighboring Colombia in search of supplies.

The pack of flour that cost Tinea about $4 in the United States would be hard to find in Venezuela. Her family would have to pay about $18 if they could it on the black market, she tells me.

Tinea realizes how lucky she is to have easy access to the ingredients for her traditional arepas, a treat she calls a celebration of her culture.

"La arepa que es nuestra tradicion," she said.

Other Venezuelans in the Triangle come to her food truck often in disbelief over reports. She confirms the reports through the struggle of her 80-year-old father.

Tinea says she would like to send food packages to her family, but the government restrictions in Venezuela do not allow her to do so. And she fears that the world doesn't seem to know that many in Venezuela are struggling just to get food.

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