HAVANA (AP) — Hundreds of boxes of American humanitarian aid are being handed out to residents in two towns located just outside the Cuban capital, according to the Catholic relief organization overseeing the effort.
Caritas announced Thursday that distribution began Wednesday after the supplies arrived earlier in the week. The effort has drawn controversy, given the deep-rooted political tensions between Cuba and the United States, and comes as the island faces a worsening crisis partly tied to an energy embargo put in place in January by U.S. President Donald Trump.
The organization began delivering the packages to parishes and religious houses in the municipalities of Bejucal and Alquízar, both of which sit along Havana’s border, according to a Caritas statement. The food and hygiene supplies are intended for “the most vulnerable Cuban families,” the statement noted.
Photos released by Caritas showed workers unloading brown cardboard boxes marked with the American flag, while volunteers in white sweatshirts bearing the Caritas logo checked identification and distributed items to local residents.
Attempts to reach Caritas directly for comment were unsuccessful.
According to the U.S. State Department, a plane carrying 700 packages left Miami on Tuesday. Officials described the delivery as the first installment of a $60 million program, which is itself part of a broader $100 million aid effort planned for distribution over the coming months.
Each box contains enough food to sustain a family for 10 days, Caritas said. Items packed inside include rice, beans, spaghetti, salt, brown sugar, canned sardines, tuna, and cooking oil. The hygiene kits feature a solar lamp, water purification tablets, a plastic bucket, soap bars, detergent, a toothbrush, and sanitary napkins.
Cuba’s Ministry of Foreign Trade confirmed that government officials were on hand when the aircraft landed, alongside Caritas representatives, though their specific ranks were not disclosed.
Jeremy Lewin, a U.S. State Department official with the Office of Foreign Assistance, Humanitarian Affairs, and Religious Freedom, said the church partnership builds on a similar program that delivered $9 million in direct aid to Cuba last year following Hurricane Melissa.
The United States has raised repeated concerns about the donation process, claiming the Cuban government manipulates aid distribution and has accused Cuban authorities of operating inefficiently in managing such assistance.
