The parish suspended the distribution after ‘line jumpers’, repeat customers, and neighbors without prescriptions appeared.
14ymedio, Darío Hernández, August 2, 2026 / “They say they’re giving away eyeglasses at the church.” The news spread through Guanabacoa this week with the speed that attends rumors about any scarce product in Cuba. In no time, a line of residents formed under the sun in front of the parish of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal, located next to the amphitheater in the Havana municipality.
The offer was hard to ignore in a country where buying prescription glasses or obtaining antibiotics can require months of searching and an amount of money unattainable for many retirees. According to several attendees, the parish was distributing glasses with varying prescriptions, some dipyrone tablets, and medications that locals identified as antibiotics.
No one could pinpoint the origin of the donation. In line, some people claimed it was part of “aid from the United States,” while others said they had heard the goods had arrived through a religious organization.
“This is from the millions the Americans sent,” commented a woman while waiting. Another resident added, “I don’t know if it’s 10 or 100 million, but they say it came from there.” The claim was repeated from mouth to mouth without anyone being able to prove it.
The scene revealed, above all, the depth of the need. Elderly people, women with children, and people who had come from other parts of the municipality were gathered in front of the church. Some shielded themselves from the sun with umbrellas; others sat on the grass or stood waiting by the fence.
Initially, as this newspaper observed at the site, the process proceeded fairly normally. Simply requesting the desired prescription was sufficient. No eye exam was required, nor was a recent prescription necessary.
“They gave you whichever one you wanted,” explained one of the attendees, who left wearing black-framed glasses. The lenses appeared to be the pre-assembled reading glasses sold with standard magnification, but the residents were talking about them as if they could solve any vision problem.
Others argued about who should have priority. “The elderly first,” some demanded. There were also complaints that there weren’t enough seats for people with mobility difficulties and that those who had been waiting the longest were afraid of losing their place.
The line ended up turning into a dispute. Attendees reported the presence of ‘line standers’ holding places, of people trying to get in twice, and others cutting in front of those who had been waiting for hours. The atmosphere “got heated,” according to several residents.
The priest then decided to halt the give-away. The suspension left dozens of people in front of the church, some annoyed and others convinced that the distribution would resume two days later. The version that circulates in the neighborhood was that the products would be distributed again on Friday.
However, on Friday the parish priest announced that the distribution would not continue. Even so, several people arrived early at the church to see if there was any chance of receiving anything. “I came just in case,” said a woman in front of the gate. “Yesterday they told me they were still distributing today.” Others lingered nearby, watching the entrance and asking those leaving the building.
Among the residents, it was said that the priest was considering replacing the line with a house-to-house distribution, especially among the elderly, the sick, and people with mobility problems.
The parish, overwhelmed by demand far exceeding its capacity, ended up closing the distribution. The line remained as a portrait of a country where a small donation, even without a confirmed origin or sufficient organization, can immediately become a massive event.
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