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Caritas began distributing the boxes to unspecified parishes and
religious houses in the municipalities of Bejucal and Alquízar,
which border Havana, according to a statement from the
organization.
The food and hygiene kits will be distributed “to the most
vulnerable Cuban families,” the statement said.
Images released by the organization showed people unloading
brown cardboard boxes donning the U.S. flag, while others
wearing white sweatshirts with the Caritas logo handed them out
to residents after checking lists and verifying their
identification.
Caritas could not be immediately reached for comment.
A plane carrying 700 packages departed Miami on Tuesday,
according to the U.S. State Department, which said the shipment
is the first in a $60 million program, part of a total of $100
million planned for distribution in the coming months.
The boxes contain enough food to meet a family’s needs for 10
days, Caritas said.
The items include rice, beans, spaghetti, salt, brown sugar,
canned sardines, tuna and oil. The kits also include a solar
lamp, water purification tablets, a plastic bucket, bars of
soap, detergent, a toothbrush and sanitary napkins.
A statement from the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Trade said that
authorities were present during the aircraft’s arrival, along
with Caritas officials, but did not specify their rank.
Jeremy Lewin, an official with the U.S. State Department’s
Office of Foreign Assistance, Humanitarian Affairs, and
Religious Freedom, indicated that the partnership with the
church is based on a program that last year provided $9 million
in direct aid to the island following Hurricane Melissa.
The U.S. has repeatedly expressed its distrust of the donation
process, alleging that it is manipulated by the Cuban
government, which it frequently accuses of inefficiency.
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