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The private restaurant Los Puchos from the city of Matanzas visited the Senior Home number two on Manzano Street this Wednesday to bring food, companionship, and affection to the residents of the center.
The establishment shared images on Facebook showing elderly adults sitting at tables, enjoying a meal served on metal trays, accompanied by juices, soft drinks, and water, while restaurant staff attended to them during their visit.
"There are moments that remind us that sharing goes far beyond serving food," wrote Los Puchos in their post. "We had the opportunity to visit the Elderly Home number two on Manzano Street in the city of Matanzas, to bring a little joy, companionship, and affection to people who deserve all our attention and respect."
The restaurant also thanked its customers and followers: "Thanks to every person who supports Los Puchos, because you are also part of these wonderful actions."
The initiative is particularly significant because it was not an invitation to the establishment, but rather a direct visit to the residents' homes, which entails greater logistical effort and a closer connection with the community.
The action takes place in a context of severe social crisis for senior citizens in Cuba. In March of this year, a 78-year-old man was seen cleaning streets in Matanzas to survive, in an image that highlighted the extreme precariousness of Cuban retirees.
In July 2025, a report documented 'invisible' people in Matanzas —including sick elderly individuals and marginalized individuals— surviving outdoors while the State ignored their situation.
More than 80 elderly individuals in the province rely on a Cáritas dining facility for their meals, and the Ministry of Labor and Social Security acknowledged in March 2025 that over 3,690 people are wandering the country, including elderly individuals in situations of abandonment.
In light of that void, private businesses in Cuba have increasingly taken on a role of social responsibility. In December 2025, a private restaurant in Centro Habana invited elderly individuals without resources to a solidarity Christmas lunch, and in January 2024, a paladar in Jagüey Grande, also in Matanzas, welcomed a disoriented elderly man who was asking for help.
This month, the first private nursing home in Cuba opened in El Vedado, with a fee of 1,080 dollars monthly, an unattainable option for the vast majority of retired Cubans, whose pensions do not suffice to cover basic needs.
Matanzas has eleven nursing homes aimed at providing social assistance to elderly individuals without family support, according to data from the 2022 Girón newspaper, but the resources they operate with are insufficient given the scale of the crisis.
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