Mike Hammer, mission chief of the United States Embassy in Cuba, visited several families in Bejucal, a municipality in Mayabeque, to witness firsthand how the humanitarian aid sent by the U.S. government had arrived.
Hammer visited the homes of some beneficiaries and spoke directly with them, explaining the purpose of his visit: "We are here on behalf of the United States government, President Trump, and Secretary Marco Rubio, to see how the aid we are sending has arrived, if it will improve the situation, and to gauge how things are going."
Among the homes visited was that of an elderly woman who lives alone and had already consumed part of the food received.
"I opened a can of sardines yesterday and I had a little bit of rice left over from the afternoon, so I took it and ate it," she told Hammer, as she showed him the products she was carefully keeping to prevent them from spoiling during the blackouts.
Another beneficiary described the arrival of the modules as "a great blessing, right on time," and added that they had already tried the tuna and the spaghetti.
Her words summarized the situation faced by thousands of Cubans: "Sometimes we are thinking that we will come up with something and with tremendous pain in our hearts, sometimes there isn't, but well, thank God, God blesses."
The rechargeable lamps included in the packages were especially valued in light of the energy crisis affecting the island. "Everyone is telling me that the little lamps work," Hammer noted during the visit.
The distributed modules in Bejucal contain basic food items—rice, beans, oil, sugar, pasta, sardines, and tuna—along with hygiene and household items such as soap, toothpaste, brushes, water purification tablets, a plastic bucket, a 20-liter container, and a rechargeable lamp.
The delivery began on July 23 in Bejucal and Alquízar, in Artemisa, organized by Cáritas Cuba and the local parish network, without intervention from the Cuban regime.
The distribution prioritizes elderly adults, people with disabilities, pregnant women or those in the lactation period, and families with children in vulnerable situations.
This delivery is part of the package of 100 million dollars announced by Secretary of State Marco Rubio in May 2026 and formalized by the Department of State on May 13.
The amount is divided into 60 million managed by the Catholic Church —through Catholic Relief Services and Cáritas Cuba— and 40 million allocated to independent non-governmental organizations.
The first formal humanitarian flight departed from Miami on July 21 with approximately 18 tons of supplies, enough for about 700 families of the Archdiocese of Havana in this initial phase.
It is projected that the aid will benefit between 100,000 and 120,000 families nationwide in successive phases.
This is not Hammer's first visit to Bejucal: in June 2025, he had already toured the Santa Susana Convent Nursing Home in that municipality, as part of his agenda for direct contact with vulnerable sectors of Cuban society.
As he said goodbye to one of the families, Hammer summarized the purpose of the day: "We wanted to come and see if it arrived well, and how great that you enjoyed the food."
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