The Presidential Social Plan began the formal delivery of Christmas baskets to poor families yesterday, Thursday 20 December, starting in the southwestern region of the country. The plan is to distribute 875,000 Christmas boxes, prepared at a cost of a billion pesos. The opening ceremony, held in San Juan de la Maguana at 10am, was headed by the director general of the Social Plan, Cesar Prieto. Provincial and municipal authorities were present, led by provincial governor William D’Oleo Jimenez.
In a press release sent by the Social Plan office, Prieto states that the Christmas boxes will be distributed “with transparency” to the neediest people, following instructions from President Danilo Medina. “And the best place to start is President Danilo Medina’s birthplace,” he said. Prieto recalled that the distribution of the Christmas boxes would continue in the north today, Friday 21 December, in the east on Saturday 22 December, and in Greater Santo Domingo on Sunday 23 December. The Christmas boxes contain several basic family food basket products including rice, pigeon peas, beans, pasta, tomato paste, oil, sugar, corn flour, oatmeal, Christmas candies, eggnog, wine, rum and other traditional items.