A new shipment of humanitarian aid from the United States Government arrived in Cuba this Tuesday with 700 food kits and another 700 hygiene product kits intended for vulnerable families in the municipality of Cruces, in the province of Cienfuegos.
According to Cáritas Cuba, the shipment landed in the morning at Abel Santamaría International Airport in Santa Clara, and it is the second cargo of U.S. assistance intended for the Diocese of Cienfuegos.
According to the organization, the program could benefit around 10,200 families in poverty within the Diocese of Cienfuegos.
The plane was received by Ana Isabel Palenque Guillemí, director of Cáritas Cienfuegos; Yanet Alfonso Gallegos, diocesan coordinator of the Institutional Training Program; and other members of the Catholic organization.
The distribution will begin this Wednesday in the Parish of La Santa Cruz, in the municipality of Cruces, and the communities it serves, according to the schedule announced by the institution.
The modules will be delivered to locations previously identified by Cáritas. They will also be taken directly to the homes of individuals who, due to their health condition or need for care, are unable to travel to the distribution sites.
The volunteers from Cruces will take on the distribution after completing the registration of households that have the greatest needs, primarily those affected by food insecurity and difficulties in accessing water.
The organization will prioritize adults over 60 years old, people with disabilities or bedridden, pregnant or breastfeeding women, and families with children under five years old.
The selection will be made according to the vulnerability conditions identified by the parish teams, so this is not a distribution open to the entire population of the municipality.
The shipment is part of the $100 million humanitarian assistance program funded by the United States for Cuba, of which $60 million is managed through organizations linked to the Catholic Church.
The assistance is channeled through Cáritas Cuba and Catholic Relief Services (CRS), which participate in the acquisition, coordination, and distribution of supplies among the selected households.
On September 17, another shipment of humanitarian aid sent by the United States arrived at the same airport in Santa Clara, also intended for vulnerable families in the Diocese of Cienfuegos.
That shipment also consisted of 700 food kits and 700 hygiene kits, but it was allocated to the Parish of San Antonio de Padua in the municipality of Lajas and its communities.
Two days later, hundreds of families in Lajas received supplies through an operation involving around 50 volunteers from Cáritas and more than a dozen workers responsible for moving the shipments.
On that occasion, the organization used carts to transport products to rural communities and hard-to-reach homes. Sick individuals, those with disabilities, or bedbound patients were able to receive the packages directly in their homes.
The food packages from that first shipment contained rice, beans, oil, sugar, pasta, sardines, and tuna. The hygiene items included personal care and cleaning products, as well as water purification tablets and rechargeable lamps.
The humanitarian program began in July 2026 with the arrival of the first U.S. assistance flight in Havana and was later expanded to other Cuban provinces.
In September, the United States Embassy announced new shipments to Camagüey, Ciego de Ávila, Cienfuegos, Matanzas, and Pinar del Río, following a meeting with the national leadership of Cáritas Cuba.
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