An evangelical church in Las Tunas has become a vital source of food in the province, offering meals to 480 individuals weekly as Cuba faces its most severe food shortage in decades.
Mayim Jorge, the apostle leading the Viento Recio Ministry, shared on Facebook the efforts of his congregation: delivering two breakfasts and one lunch each week to hundreds of Cubans who would otherwise go hungry. "We prepare meals for 480 people. It's quite a challenge under the current circumstances," he noted.
The pastor expresses deep concern about the demographics of those seeking food assistance. "Now, children and young people are coming, not just the elderly," he warned, indicating that hunger knows no age in the nation.
Mayim Jorge attributes the crisis to the collapse of the Cuban population's immune system, exacerbated by power outages that prevent proper rest, medicine shortages, and chronic malnutrition.
"In Cuba, people rarely die from disease. They die from hunger," he stated, referencing statistics from the official Granma newspaper regarding mortality rates in the country.
Even Granma admitted that the infant mortality rate reached 9.9 per 1,000 live births in 2025, the highest in over two decades, marking a 148% increase from 2018 when it was 4.0 per 1,000.
The work of the Viento Recio Ministry is not new. On July 2nd, the congregation provided lunches to 190 vulnerable individuals in Las Tunas, and every Monday and Tuesday, 140 people receive breakfast, thanks to volunteers who wake up at four in the morning to prepare the food.
Nevertheless, the regime has sought to disrupt these efforts. In June, authorities barred the Viento Recio Ministry from continuing its breakfast program for pregnant women at a maternal home in Las Tunas, demanding Communist Party permits for each food distribution.
Despite these hurdles, the church continues its mission. "We are not just providing food; we are giving life," summarized the apostle.
This initiative is part of a broader trend: in the absence of state support, Cuban churches have become the primary food assistance network in the country. The San Juan Methodist Church in Santiago de Cuba feeds over 400 people every Sunday, while Caritas Camagüey runs a soup kitchen for the homeless.
The statistics highlighting this crisis are stark: 96.91% of the Cuban population lacks sufficient access to food, and one in three Cuban families is experiencing hunger, according to independent surveys. About 29% of Cubans eat only two meals a day, and 4% barely manage one.
The scale of the crisis is beyond the religious community's capacity to address entirely. Father Rodhin Alonso Colomar of Santiago de Cuba bluntly acknowledged last week, "We cannot feed an entire nation."
Questions about the Hunger Crisis in Cuba
What is the current food crisis situation in Cuba?
Cuba is experiencing one of its worst food shortages in decades, with 96.91% of the population lacking adequate access to food. Many families are struggling with hunger, and a significant portion of the population eats only one or two meals a day.
How are churches in Cuba responding to the food crisis?
Churches in Cuba, like the Viento Recio Ministry in Las Tunas, have become key providers of food assistance, offering meals to hundreds of people weekly. They have stepped in to fill the gap left by the state's inadequate response to the crisis.
What challenges are faced by food assistance programs in Cuba?
Food assistance programs in Cuba face significant challenges, including government restrictions that require Communist Party permits for food distributions, as well as the general scarcity of resources needed to meet the high demand for food.