Shortly after Hurricane Katrina ravaged the U.S.?s Gulf Coast, controversial Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez pledged to help America?s poor.
On Wednesday, he brought that pledge to Baltimore City as his Citgo Petroleum Corp. delivered discounted heating oil to Debra Henderson, a 58-year-old disabled mother.
“I appreciate this program,” Henderson said, standing outside her Baltimore City home. “I know it will help a whole lot of people who are dealing with paying for oil.”
Chavez has been an outspoken critic of President George W. Bush, even calling Bush “the devil” during a September speech at the United Nations. Some Bush supporters have said Chavez?s program is designed to embarrass Bush.
Chavez?s offer to help poor Marylanders is not motivated by politics, but by humanitarian desires, said Rafael Gomez, Citgo?s vice president for public affairs.
“Our President Chavez says the people are suffering every day,” Gomez said. “Every day that the people suffer and they have to make the decision to heat or to eat, we support the people.”
“Because it?s cold, we are here in the United States helping poor people,” said Fadi Kabboul, Minister Counselor for Petroleum Affairs at the Venezuelan Embassy. “Venezuela is a friend to the people of the United States.”
Henderson is the first of 15,000 households in Maryland to receive discounted fuel as part of the Citgo-Venezuela Heating Oil Program.
The program will donate free oil to homeless shelters and a 40 percent discount to poor families.
Former U.S. Rep. Joseph Kennedy II said hecontacted every oil company in the U.S. asking for help providing cheap oil to America?s poor, but was consistently rebuffed.
“We approached every major oil company and every OPEC nation last year to ask that a small slice of their record profits go to help the poor,” Kennedy said.
“Only one oil company ? Citgo ? and only one nation ? Venezuela ? stepped up to the plate to offer a helping hand.”
