Portland real estate investors mobilize to deliver aid to Colombian earthquake victims

Scott Dalinger (Better Off Home Buyers) and his family alongside the relief supplies for earthquake victims in Colombia.

Better Off Home Buyers rallies Oregon businesses to raise $4,650 and deliver 750 pounds of essential supplies.

PORTLAND, OREGON – September 28, 2026 – Scott Dalinger, owner and founder of Portland, OR-based Better Off Home Buyers, was in Bogotá, Colombia on August 10th, when a 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck the country, killing hundreds and leaving a path of devastation affecting thousands of families.

“I have been in many earthquakes in my life, but have never felt anything that strong, not even close,” said Dalinger. “The earth was shaking beneath your feet, and it felt like you were on a paddleboard on choppy water, just trying to keep your balance. It went on for minutes, and I was a couple hundred miles from the epicenter.”

The devastation caused by the earthquake was widespread and devastating. The Colombian governmental organization UNGRD estimates that 466,345 people were affected, 4,505 injured, 101 missing, with 331 fatalities. Additionally, 36,327 homes were destroyed, 201,939 homes were severely damaged, and 759 buildings collapsed. 1

In the days after the earthquake, Dalinger saw the city of Bogotá spring into action, becoming a central point for the collection and distribution of aid to the affected regions throughout the country.

How a few phone calls turned into $4,650 for earthquake relief

Inspired by what he saw, Dalinger decided that Better Off Home Buyers was going to step in and help out as well. “I spoke with my business partner Dylan Hallett, and we agreed that we wanted to do something. We decided to purchase food and personal care items, which is what was needed most.”

Dalinger invited other friends and business associates in Portland, Oregon to help as well. “I decided to use my little corner of influence to try to expand the impact beyond our own contribution. I called up my friends, most of whom are real estate investors in Portland, Oregon, and a few other states, and they were quick to pitch in financially.”

After a few phone calls, Dalinger’s contacts immediately started sending money through Venmo and Zelle. Between its own contribution and those of the Oregon investor community, Better Off Home Buyers collected a total of $4,650.

“It was really amazing that the Oregon investing community stepped up. With no questions asked, people sent us thousands of dollars which they entrusted us with to help the earthquake victims. Oregonians really know how to step up when the need is great.”

“I felt a great sense of responsibility to do right by my friends and business associates to make sure that their contributions would, dollar-for-dollar, be used for immediate aid and go directly to the source.” To ensure direct impact, Better Off Home Buyers teamed up with Gimnasio de los Cerros and Misión INALDE of the INALDE Business School at Universidad de la Sabana, which were leading a coordinated effort to collect earthquake aid and physically distribute it to the affected communities.

From Bogotá to Chocó, Circasia, and Quimbaya

Rather than donating the money, Dalinger and his family used the model of Gobble Gobble Give, Better Off Home Buyers’ Portland Thanksgiving drive, whereby investors purchase food directly, rather than relying on financial donations.

With the money that was collected by Better Off Home Buyers, Dalinger, his wife, and his children went shopping for the items that were needed most 2, filling several vehicles as well as making several trips, delivering the items to Gimnasio de los Cerros. From there, volunteers transported the aid to Universidad de la Sabana, where it was loaded into box trucks and dispatched to the affected regions.

Finally, the aid provided by Better Off Home Buyers and other Oregon businesses reached its final destinations of Chocó, a department with some of the highest poverty levels in Colombia, as well as the municipalities of Circasia and Quimbaya in the coffee region, all of which faced significant destruction by the earthquake.

A large pile of essential supplies placed on asphalt, including stacks of toilet paper rolls, packs of baby diapers, and open boxes filled with feminine hygiene products.

Scott Dalinger wearing an Oregon t-shirt stands smiling in a parking garage holding hands with his two young children, surrounded by shopping carts overflowing with donated relief supplies.

High-resolution photos documenting the purchase of aid supplies, vehicle loading, and final delivery at Gimnasio de los Cerros and regional dispatch sites in Colombia are available for download here: view high-resolution photos

750 pounds of supplies, purchased and delivered directly

All told, Better Off Home Buyers, with the financial help of its Portland friends and associates, delivered approximately 750 pounds of critically needed aid, which included rice, beans, bread, panela (unrefined-condensed sugar), spaghetti, salt, baby food, pots for cooking, deodorant, feminine hygiene products, adult diapers, toilet paper, baby diapers, baby wipes, toothpaste, children’s toothpaste, toothbrushes, rubbing alcohol, soap, shampoo, and conditioner.

Guided by its founding core value of Service since its inception in 2018, Better Off Home Buyers remains committed to serving the communities where it works and lives.

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Media Inquiries:
Scott Dalinger
Owner, Better Off Home Buyers
scott@coast2coasthousebuyers.com

Offers:
dylan@coast2coasthousebuyers.com
Call/text: 503-914-8090
www.betteroffhomebuyers.com

Read the full press release: Portland real estate investors mobilize to deliver aid to Colombian earthquake victims