The Cuba Hurricane Relief Fund is a community effort aimed at raising $1,000,000 to help the victims of hurricane devastation in Cuba. The Fund is co-chaired by The Most Reverend Bishop Felipe Estevez, The Right Reverend Bishop Leo Frade and Rabbi Eliot Pearlson. All money raised will be deposited by Friends of Caritas Cubana into a segregated account and will be disbursed to Catholic Relief Services, Caritas Cuba and other entities of the Catholic Church operating in Cuba. These organizations will use the funds to purchase humanitarian supplies and deliver them to hurricane victims of all faiths in Cuba. All transfers of funds will be done in full compliance with all U.S. laws and regulations. In order to ensure the highest transparency and accountability of these funds, the segregated account will be subject to oversight by an external committee and will be audited by Morrison Brown Argiz & Co., CPAs which has agreed to conduct this work pro-bono. The audit report will be available to all donors regardless of the amount donated.
Friends of Caritas Cubana is a non-profit organization that works to enhance the capacity of Caritas Cuba in providing humanitarian and social services to the people of Cuba. Its priorities are to assist children, the elderly, the infirm, single mothers, people living with aids and to provide emergency relief to the victims of natural disasters. Donations to Friends of Caritas Cubana are tax-deductible to the fullest extent of the IRS code. The organization has received all necessary U.S. government licenses and approvals to conduct its activities in accordance with U.S. and Cuban law and works with Catholic Relief Services to send assistance to Cuba. While affiliated with the Roman Catholic Church of Cuba, individuals of all religious traditions use the services of Caritas Cuba. Friends of Caritas Cubana has been supporting the efforts of Caritas Cuba since 1999.
Catholic Relief Services has worked with Caritas Cubana, the Catholic Church's relief agency, to provide emergency, humanitarian assistance to the most vulnerable and needy people in Cuba since 1993. Over the years, CRS has delivered $26 million in medicine, medical supplies, food and clothing to Cuba for distribution in hospitals, homes for the elderly, and to children with Down syndrome and other vulnerable groups. Catholic Relief Services has received the highest rating by the the American Institute for Philanthropy, was ranked 29 in Non-Profit Times Top 100 and 67 on the Chronicle of Philanthropy Top 400 list.
Caritas Cubana, with its extensive national support network and offices in all of Cuba's 11 dioceses, has been a Catholic Relief Services partner since 1993. It has a permanent staff of some 30 people and support from thousands of volunteers who help with programs - including numerous soup kitchens and other health-related programs - that target the elderly and handicapped children.
Since 1993, CRS Cuba has also worked with Caritas Cubana to respond to emergencies and to ship more than 27 million dollars in humanitarian aid for the needy and poor. Since 2,000, CRS has partnered with the following institutions to provide this assistance: Providence International Mission, the Daughters of Charity, Hope for a Healthier Humanity, the Sisters of Saint Francis of the Holy Eucharist, the Eucharistic Apostles of the Divine Mercy, the Park West Children's Fund, the Free Wheelchair Mission, the Friends of Caritas Cubana, the Cuban Children Fund and the Archdiocese of Indianapolis.