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The Diocese of Holguín received a shipment this weekend consisting of approximately 20.3 metric tons of non-perishable food from the Archdiocese of Miami, aimed at supporting those affected by Hurricane Melissa.
The donation arrived at Holguín airport and was delivered by Father José Joaquín Espino, rector of the National Sanctuary of the Virgin of Charity in Miami, and Sister Eva Pérez Puelles, Daughter of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul, as reported through the Facebook profile of the Media Office of the Diocese of Holguín.
Half of the 44,694 pounds of products will be sent to the Diocese of Bayamo-Manzanillo, which was also affected by the passage of Hurricane Melissa.
The Diocesan Caritas Team received the assistance and will take on its full distribution, the source noted.
Cáritas Diocesana also reported that it has arranged for additional monetary and material donations from individuals, organizations, and various dioceses across the country.
Among them, contributions from the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, World Central Kitchen (WCK), Carlos Lazo (Puentes de Amor), the company Gordi S.U.R.L., and the Diocese of Ciego de Ávila stand out.
This assistance is joined by a second shipment from the Caridad Joven group of the National Sanctuary of Charity in Miami, this time directed to the Our Lady of the Angels Parish, in Velasco, located in the Holguin municipality of Gibara.
According to reported by the religious institution, the priest Antonio Marrero Díaz will be responsible for distributing resources among the families most affected by the cyclone in that community.
According to Father José Joaquín Espino, rector of the Ermita de la Caridad del Cobre in Miami, these operations are not related to the three million dollars recently announced by the United States government for humanitarian assistance in Cuba, which are being channeled through the organization Catholic Relief Services (CRS).
The Catholic Church, through Caritas, has played a crucial role in the distribution of humanitarian aid to the communities affected by Hurricane Melissa.
They have coordinated the distribution of food and essential items in areas such as Songo-La Maya and Baltony, in Santiago de Cuba, which were severely affected by the storm.
The assistance also includes the distribution of food packages and the operation of community kitchens for thousands of people.
In addition to the Catholic Church, other churches such as the Methodist and Baptist churches have also actively participated in delivering humanitarian aid.
The Methodist Church has distributed food and basic resources, while the Baptist Church has provided donations directly to the most affected families.
This collaboration among different religious institutions has been vital in addressing the emergency.
For his part, the Cuban leader Miguel Díaz-Canel called on the residents of Santiago de Cuba to exercise “popular control” over the distribution of donations coming into the province, amid questions regarding the actual and effective allocation of that aid through government structures, and ongoing concerns about the misappropriation and sale of donated resources.
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