US envoy visits Cuban families receiving humanitarian aid
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Mike Hammer, the chief of mission at the U.S. Embassy in Cuba, traveled to the municipality of Corralillo in Villa Clara province to meet families receiving U.S. humanitarian aid.
He visited the town of Quintín Banderas to see firsthand how the assistance was helping people in need, speaking with recipients inside their homes.
Families shared their gratitude and described the dire circumstances they faced before receiving the aid, with one woman stating she had “nothing left to eat.” Hammer’s visit followed the delivery of 700 food kits and 700 hygiene kits to Villa Clara on September 10, intended for families in Quemado de Güines and Rancho Veloz.
He previously toured the province from September 12 to 14, visiting vulnerable households and meeting with Bishop Arturo González Amador of Cáritas Santa Clara and dissident Guillermo “Coco” Fariñas. During that earlier visit, the Cuban government spread false claims that the food was contaminated, which Cáritas publicly denied. The aid program, valued at $100 million and announced by the Trump administration, directs $60 million through the Catholic Church and Catholic Relief Services, and $40 million through independent organizations.
The Embassy plans to expand aid distribution to five additional provinces. Camagüey, Ciego de Ávila, Cienfuegos, Matanzas, and Pinar del Río, and expects the program to reach between 100,000 and 120,000 families across Cuba. Bishop González Amador cautioned that the aid is limited to the most urgent cases and is not intended as a long-term solution.
