Volunteers from Cáritas Camagüey distributed 300 modules of humanitarian aid funded by the United States this week among vulnerable families in Lugareño, a rural community in the municipality of Minas, in central Cuba.
The organization announced on its social media that the shipment arrived at the diocese of Camagüey on October 1 and the delivery began two days later. In total, the province received 700 modules: 300 intended for Lugareño and another 400 reserved for families in Nuevitas. Father Reynaldo, the parish vicar, was present during the distribution day.
Each kit includes staple foods —rice, black beans, cooking oil, sugar, spaghetti, sardines, and tuna— along with hygiene items such as soap, toothpaste, and toothbrushes.
The modules also include rechargeable camping lanterns and buckets for water storage, items that are particularly useful in light of the frequent power outages experienced in Cuba.
The volunteers delivered the packages directly to the homes, prioritizing elderly individuals living alone, people with disabilities, pregnant women, nursing mothers, and families with children under five years old. To reach the more remote areas of this rural community, animal-drawn carts and cargo tricycles were used.
"With the local resources and the support of volunteers, the day unfolded in an atmosphere filled with gratitude from those who, with great simplicity and the warmth of rural people, opened their homes to those who brought relief for their most essential needs of food, hygiene, and water storage," described Cáritas Camagüey.
The boxes are affixed with a label featuring the American flag and the Cáritas logo, with the caption "Donation from the people of the United States of America to the citizens of Cuba."
The distribution in Camagüey is part of the 100 million dollar humanitarian aid program announced by Secretary of State Marco Rubio in May 2026.
Of that total, 60 million is channeled through Cáritas Cuba and Catholic Relief Services (CRS), while the remaining 40 million is distributed through other independent organizations. The mechanism explicitly excludes the Cuban regime as an intermediary.
The first flight of the program departed from Miami on July 21, 2026, with supplies for around 700 families in Havana. Since then, the delivery progressed in phases: Havana and nearby municipalities in July, Villa Clara and Cienfuegos in September, and Camagüey in October.
CRS estimates that the 60 million channeled through the Catholic network could benefit nearly 200,000 households, representing more than half a million people.
The Cuban regime has maintained an ambivalent stance towards the program: on one hand, it accuses Washington of "political manipulation"; on the other, Minister Bruno Rodríguez acknowledged that Cuba "does not practice rejecting foreign aid."
"This process ensures that 300 families from the Lugareño community benefit from this humanitarian aid, along with the kindness and good treatment that characterize the volunteering efforts of Cáritas Camagüey," concluded the organization.
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