Caritas starts distributing US humanitarian aid in 2 towns near Havana

Updated [hour]:[minute] [AMPM] [timezone], [monthFull] [day], [year] Havana (AP) — Hundreds of boxes of humanitarian aid from the U.S. are being distributed in two towns near the Cuban capital, the Catholic Church organization in charge of the distribution said Thursday.The aid arrived this week and its distribution began on Wednesday. It is shrouded in controversy due to the long-standing political distrust between Cuba and the U.S., and comes amid a crisis on the island exacerbated by an energy embargo imposed in January by U.S. President Donald Trump.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.___Follow AP’s Latin America and Caribbean coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america-and-caribbean