A U.S. Air Force C-17 aircraft from the 133rd Air National Guard in Minnesota transported a large donation of 44,180 pounds of humanitarian aid supplies to Soto Cano Air Base, Honduras, June 26, through the U.S. Agency for International Development’s Denton Program.

The shipment was originally intended to support New Horizons, an Army South-led joint humanitarian exercise that would have taken place in southern Honduras, but was cancelled due to COVID 19 and items were redirected to support local hospitals throughout Honduras.

The articles were donated by MAP International and other donor organizations in the United States, with coordination facilitated by the Joint Task Force-Bravo Civil Affairs team who frequently engages with local communities.

“Our civil affairs teams are where policy meets people – we operate within communities around Honduras to grow partnerships at the grassroots level, enabling us to work side-by-side with our Honduran partners and provide meaningful assistance during difficult times,” said U.S. Army Lt. Col. Jeffrey Uherka, JTF-Bravo civil affairs director. “With the help of MAP International, USAID, and the Denton cargo program, coupled with our partnerships with the Honduran Government—we are proud to get much-needed supplies to people across Honduras during this pandemic. We are Americans invested in America, and this donation truly represents that.”

The donation includes 15 pallets of hygiene articles to be distributed at the regional hospital in Choluteca through the Permanent Contingency Commission in Honduras (COPECO), seven of which were donated by MAP to be distributed to Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula to support COVID 19 quarantine centers. The Denton Program is a multi-agency effort and showcases the collaborative relationship between the Department of Defense, who provides coordination and transportation of the materials, and USAID.