Volunteers begin distributing humanitarian aid in Santa Cruz del Sur

An additional shipment of U.S. assistance touched down Thursday morning at the Ignacio Agramonte International Airport in Camagüey. The shipment is destined for the Archdiocese of Camagüey and brings together 700 food packages along with 700 hygiene packages. Caritas volunteers in the town began the distribution without delay.

The aid will reach the parish of La Santa Cruz and communities in the municipality of Santa Cruz del Sur. The food modules include rice, beans, oil, sugar, spaghetti, sardines and tuna; toiletries consist of soap, toothpaste and toothbrushes.

The selection considers families affected by food insecurity and with problems in having water. Among them, priority is given to people over 60 years of age, those who live with a disability or remain bedridden, pregnant and breastfeeding mothers, and children under five years of age.

Wilfredo Pino, archbishop of Camagüey, and Anaísis Illas Rodríguez, linked to the diocesan program for the elderly, were among those who received the cargo at the airport. Other members of the local team also participated. Caritas Camagüey pointed out that the shipment will not be enough to serve all the needy people in the archdiocese.

The diocese had received a first delivery on October 1 at the same airport. That included 700 modules: 300 were assigned to families in Lugareño and 400 to homes in Nuevitas. The new distribution expands the assistance to another area of the province, with a delivery concentrated in Santa Cruz del Sur.

The two shipments are part of an aid program to Cuba valued at 100 million dollars by the U.S. government; 60 million are channeled by Caritas Cuba. Caritas and Catholic Relief Services plan to bring food and hygiene products to almost 200,000 homes, as well as mattresses and blankets for another 7,000 people. In October there were deliveries to Matanzas, Pinar del Río and Santa Clara, and on November 3 another arrived in Cienfuegos.