A Southwest Florida Christian Ministry is making its inaugural trip to Cuba on Tuesday.

  • Christian ministry making trip to Cuba
  • Water purification units delivered

The Agape plane will be carrying 26 water purification units and enough food to feed more than 10,000 people.

"To see that plane take off and know it’s going to Cuba and going to feed over 10,000 meals, and provide endless water, that’s just amazing," said Agape Flights communication director Abby Duncan.

For 35 years the nonprofit Christian aviation ministry Agape Flights has been supplying food and water to more than 19 million people living in the Caribbean. That number is growing as the organization expands their services to Cuba.

"For Agape to be able to fly into Cuba for the first time with supplies, that is a whole new endeavor and a whole new beacon of hope, said Agape Flights pilot Jeff Yannucciello.

Yannucciello is one of two pilots making the hour and half journey to Cuba.

"That’s what we do, we provide tools. Tools for them to make ends meet, tools for them to provide hope for the hopeless,” said Yannucciello.

The flight from Cuba will return on Tuesday night.

The next day the plane will fly to Bahamas, Dominican Republic, and Haiti on a separate mission trip.