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In a country where obtaining food has become a daily odyssey, members of the Methodist Church in Felton, Holguín, carried out a new day of support for the local nursing home.
The initiative was shared on Facebook by Loraine Vázquez Batista, who quoted a verse from the Book of Psalms and expressed gratitude for the opportunity to serve the elderly.
The biblical message—referring to divine provision and mercy—accompanied the gratitude for being able to provide assistance to the elderly at the center.
Beyond religious words, the gesture reveals a reality that can no longer be concealed: it is faith communities and ordinary citizens who are filling basic needs in an environment where nourishment and care for the most vulnerable increasingly rely less on state structures.
The scene is not isolated. In various parts of the country, churches have taken on tasks that should be guaranteed by effective public policies.
The fact that a nursing home needs external support to meet basic needs speaks to a profound deterioration in the social safety net.
Solidarity in the face of a relentless crisis
Last Sunday, in Santiago de Cuba, young members of the San Juan Methodist Church went through neighborhoods in the city to distribute food and blankets to people in vulnerable situations.
According to Pastor Darlon Bermúdez, the volunteers divided into groups and managed to assist more than a hundred people with food, in addition to providing warm clothing and supporting the sick with prayer and spiritual guidance.
The images shared showed young boys carrying food containers and clothing, smiling despite the adverse surroundings.
However, behind that youthful energy lies an increasingly harsh reality: families that cannot ensure a daily meal, elderly individuals who rely on donations, and citizens who struggle to survive amid blackouts, shortages, and constantly rising prices.
Every Sunday, in that Santiago congregation, more than 400 people -including the elderly, mothers, and entire families- receive breakfast and lunch unconditionally.
The project relies on the effort of volunteers who cook and organize with the little they can manage to obtain in a market that is under-supplied and characterized by prices that soar week after week.
The sustained rise in prices, the depreciation of the peso, and the inadequacy of wages and pensions have reduced the purchasing power of the population to critical levels.
What was once a basic purchase now represents an unattainable expense for many. In that context, the assistance from churches and religious organizations becomes a temporary lifesaver.
At the end of December, also in Santiago de Cuba, the Catholic community of Sant' Egidio organized a Christmas lunch for more than 700 people in need at the Church of San Francisco.
The demand exceeded initial forecasts and required the creation of additional spaces within the temple to serve multiple rounds of food.
These episodes not only reflect solidarity; they also highlight the advance of extreme poverty on the Island.
The increase in homelessness and the inability to afford a special meal on traditional occasions are symptoms of an economic model that has failed to ensure stability or well-being.
As the cost of living continues to rise and the national currency loses value, it is churches, small private businesses, and citizens who are taking on responsibilities that should fall to the authorities.
Solidarity actions are moving, but they also highlight the lack of structural solutions and the absence of a system that effectively protects those who need it the most.
In that scenario, every meal served in a nursing home or a temple not only provides nourishment: it highlights a prolonged crisis that has eroded the ability of thousands of Cubans to sustain themselves.
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