The Miami Marlins are turning loanDepot Park into a fundraising hub for Venezuela earthquake relief, announcing a slate of initiatives tied to the Choque de Gigantes series between Navegantes del Magallanes and Tiburones de La Guaira on Saturday, November 14, and Sunday, November 15. The two-game series will showcase one of Venezuelan baseball's most storied rivalries while funneling ticket sales, raffle proceeds and souvenir-cup revenue toward relief and recovery efforts in the earthquake-affected country, according to Miami's Community Newspapers.
The Marlins have already put money behind the effort. The team donated $100,000 to Global Empowerment Mission, the Doral-based humanitarian organization that activated its emergency response after two powerful earthquakes struck Venezuela, as reported by The Miami Herald. Global Empowerment Mission said at the time it expected to have response teams on the ground in Venezuela within days, working alongside its longtime partner I Love Venezuela.
Marlins players, coaches, executives and staff didn't just write a check. The organization delivered donated supplies to Global Empowerment Mission's global headquarters and worked alongside the group's volunteers to pack goods bound for earthquake victims, according to the Herald's report. The station's account of that day described a hands-on effort, with the team personally delivering items collected as part of its relief initiative.
A Supply Drive and a Rivalry Renewed
Ahead of the November series, the Marlins hosted a supply drive at loanDepot park, and the club says attendees at the Choque de Gigantes games may also donate requested supplies at designated collection points. The series itself revives a matchup with history behind it: Magallanes arrives in Miami having won the 2025 edition of the Choque de Gigantes, while La Guaira celebrated its 2024 Caribbean Series championship at the Marlins' stadium, per reporting from el Nuevo Herald.
The first game is set for 7 p.m. Saturday, with the second game following at 1 p.m. Sunday. Part of the ticket revenue from both games will go toward relief efforts for people affected by the earthquakes, the outlet reported, and the Marlins separately organized fundraising activities at loanDepot park that produced an additional $40,000 donation to the We Love Venezuela Foundation.
Organizers Frame the Series as a Community Response
“Choque de Gigantes gives people an opportunity to support the people of Venezuela,” Marlins president of business operations Caroline O'Connor said, according to Miami's Community Newspapers. The series is organized by the Marlins in partnership with Navegantes del Magallanes, Tiburones de La Guaira and the Liga Venezolana de Béisbol Profesional, with the event structured to pair a competitive two-game series with a direct relief pipeline.
Global Empowerment Mission founder Michael Capponi said the support generated through Choque de Gigantes will help his organization continue responding to earthquake-affected communities, per the same report. Giuseppe Palmisano, another figure quoted in the announcement, said the baseball community has an opportunity to turn its connection with Venezuela into tangible support for those communities. Organizers have repeatedly pointed to Miami's status as home to one of the largest Venezuelan communities outside the country itself as a reason the series resonates locally.
How the Money Moves
Beyond ticket sales, the Marlins are layering in additional fundraising mechanisms across both games. A portion of proceeds from 50/50 raffles at each game will benefit Global Empowerment Mission, and a portion of revenue from commemorative souvenir cups sold at loanDepot park will also go toward Venezuela relief efforts. Tickets for both games are available at marlins.com/choque.
The donations funneling through Global Empowerment Mission arrive as the organization has scaled up its response considerably. On its website, the group says it has provided more than $47.4 million in aid to Venezuela in the 100 days following the earthquakes, and that its food-distribution work has served more than 154,000 households. Global Empowerment Mission also says it accounted for more than 52% of all international aid flown into the country, and that it is committing an initial $75 million in humanitarian aid and support for affected families in partnership with I Love Venezuela. Those figures come from Global Empowerment Mission's own public accounting of its response.
In the immediate aftermath of the earthquakes, the Herald reported that Global Empowerment Mission's Doral headquarters became a donation collection point almost immediately, with volunteers preparing canned goods, water, hygiene products, tents and first-aid supplies for shipment to affected communities. That early mobilization has since grown into the broader campaign now intersecting with Miami's baseball calendar, as the Marlins use the Choque de Gigantes series to keep attention — and donations — flowing toward Venezuela's recovery.
