Cáritas Camagüey fully allocated its second shipment of U.S. humanitarian aid to the La Santa Cruz parish and nearby communities in the municipality of Santa Cruz del Sur, as reported by the organization through its social media.
The shipment, consisting of 700 food kits and 700 hygiene kits, arrived on Wednesday at the Ignacio Agramonte International Airport in Camagüey, and distribution began immediately, carried out by community volunteers who had previously identified the beneficiaries.
The food kits include rice, beans, oil, sugar, spaghetti, sardines, and tuna, while the hygiene kits contain soap, toothpaste, toothbrushes, water purification tablets, sanitary pads, containers, and rechargeable lamps.
Cáritas established clear priority criteria: individuals facing food insecurity or difficulties accessing water, with special attention to adults over 60 years old, people with disabilities or bedridden, pregnant or breastfeeding women, and children under five years old.
The organization acknowledged that the need far exceeds what is available: "the demand exceeds the available capacity and cannot assist all the people who need help," stated Cáritas Camagüey.
This is the second shipment received by the Camagüey diocese as part of the humanitarian aid program of 100 million dollars announced by Secretary of State Marco Rubio on May 8, 2026, after meeting with Pope Leo XIV in Rome.
The first shipment to Camagüey arrived on October 1, 2026, and was distributed between Lugareño and Nuevitas: 300 families in the municipality of Minas and 400 modules in the coastal municipality of northern province.
Of the 100 million from the program, 60 million is channeled through Cáritas Cuba and Catholic Relief Services (CRS), while the remaining 40 million is distributed through other independent organizations.
All assistance arrives without the involvement of the Cuban government, through diocesan and parish structures, ensuring that supplies reach the most vulnerable families directly.
Santa Cruz del Sur is a coastal municipality in the south of Camagüey with over 43,000 inhabitants and a high level of social and environmental vulnerability, exacerbated by recurring floods that in June 2025 left 129 people from 46 families in temporary shelters.
The program started with a flight from Miami on July 21, 2026, to Havana and has expanded to several provinces of the country; on Thursday, a fourth humanitarian aid flight arrived for vulnerable families in Güines, in Mayabeque.
CRS estimates that the component managed by the Catholic network could benefit approximately 200,000 households, which is equivalent to more than 500,000 people across the island.
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