Ashton Slaughter
Tulsa World General Assignment Reporter
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Ashton Slaughter
Tulsa World General Assignment Reporter
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Authored by Evgenia Filimianova via The Epoch Times,
The United States has pledged additional emergency assistance to Bolivia as protests and road blockades deepen shortages of food, fuel, and medical supplies across the South American country.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with Bolivian President Rodrigo Paz on June 4 and discussed efforts to address growing shortages caused by nationwide unrest.
The Secretary noted the United States is ramping up emergency assistance and logistics operations support in Bolivia to help those facing acute food and medical shortages due to illegal roadblocks intended to destabilize Bolivian society, U.S. State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said on June 4.
Pigott said Rubio reaffirmed the United States’ unwavering commitment to support Bolivia’s democracy and the Paz Administration as the country works through a political and economic crisis.
Paz’s government faces mounting pressure from labor unions, peasant groups, miners, and supporters of former Bolivian President Evo Morales, who have staged protests and road blockades across the country.
Blockades Disrupt Supplies
The unrest began with a workers’ strike in May and later expanded into road blockades that cut off access to the neighboring cities of La Paz and El Alto, which together are home to about 2 million people.
Protesters are demanding that the government reverse austerity measures and address rising living costs.
Blockades organized by the federation of trade unions representing peasants and miners, the Bolivian Workers’ Central (COB), and other groups have depleted food supplies in La Paz and left hospitals struggling to obtain oxygen.
Women wearing traditional dress known as “cholitas” take part in a march calling for the resignation of President Rodrigo Paz, in La Paz, on May 22, 2026. Aizar Raldes / via
The demonstrations have also exposed broader economic tensions, with protesters calling for higher wages, improved fuel supplies, and access to additional mining areas. Public school teachers are separately negotiating for salary increases.
COB in a June 2 statement on Facebook called for Paz’s resignation and said his administration had failed to govern effectively.
The organization also demanded the release of detainees, an end to what it described as persecution against its leaders, and measures to guarantee fuel and food supplies, and called for a permanent state of emergency.
The Bolivian Highway Administration (ABC) reported 84 roadblocks nationwide on June 4, according to a June 5 report by Bolivian newsper El Deber.
Government Actions
Paz has called for dialogue while also pursuing measures to reopen blocked roads.
On June 3, he pointed Ernesto Justiniano as defense minister following the departure of Marcelo Salinas, who stepped down on June 2.
The immediate task is to restore normalcy: passable roads, supplies, medical care, work and peace, Justiniano said after taking office.
Paz said in a June 3 post on X that Justiniano would help restore stability and improve conditions for Bolivians. The president said he had sent a ⁠bill ​to congress authorizing joint police ​and military operations to clear roads.
He accused some protesters of attempting to divide the country through lies, violence, and blockades while emphasizing his commitment to democracy and dialogue.
People line up to buy gasoline in plastic containers in the Calacoto neighborhood of southern La Paz, Bolivia, on June 2, 2026. Jorge Bernal / via
Paz also called for the creation of humanitarian corridors to allow food, medicine, and fuel to reach communities affected by the protests.
On June 4, he said his government remained willing to negotiate with protest groups.
Today we took another step toward strengthening dialogue, a key tool for finding solutions to conflicts, Paz wrote in a post on X after meeting with Vice President Edman Lara and congressional leaders.
I repeat it, and I will continue to do so: we have every willingness to listen to and address the demands of the mobilized sectors.
The crisis has become an early test for Paz, whose October 2025 election ended two decades of left-wing rule in Bolivia.
Bolivian President Rodrigo Paz holds a press conference in La Paz, Bolivia, on May 20, 2026. Claudia Morales/
Paz, a member of the Christian Democratic Party, took office promising economic reforms and stronger action against corruption and drug trafficking. His government has argued that some demonstrations are politically motivated and designed to destabilize the administration.

Food for Greater Elgin volunteer Mary Fontaine is one of 18 people across the Midwest to be honored with a Meijer Hunger Relief Hero Award.
I’m not one who seeks recognition like this, but it’s great. It’s awesome. I hope the attention can lead to us getting more volunteers and to raising awareness about what we do here at Food for Greater Elgin, Fontaine said.
Big-box retailer Meijer created the award to highlight the dedication and impact of volunteers working to address food insecurity in their local communities, according to the company’s website. It received nearly 400 nominations.
Fontaine was nominated for the award by the CEO of the nonprofit, where Fontaine has offered her services for about 12 years after retiring as a management consultant.
I learned about Food for Greater Elgin and preciate their mission. Everybody needs a way to get their food, Fontaine said.
Volunteering gives her a way to put her tech skills, business systems knowledge and organizational/management abilities to use, she said.
She’s part of the nonprofit’s logistics projects team, which helps oversee the food pantry registration system and coordinates its delivery program for people who are housebound.
She also assists drop-off programs at local schools, mobile pantries set up for seniors or income-qualifying residents, and initiatives benefiting the homeless. The work can involve everything from creating route lists and to putting together inventory distribution plans to creating a document system for training new volunteers and employees, she said.
All told, she’ll put in 25 to 35 hours a week and sometimes brings her 12-year-old granddaughter with to help, something she’s not alone in doing.
The volunteers here are so great, and a good many people volunteer (with) friends and family, she said.
One married couple who are ER doctors like to bring their children with them when they work, particularly in summer, Fontaine said. There’s a musician who’s part of a national touring act who comes with his girlfriend. Some people who have received help from Food for Greater Elgin will volunteer their time, she said.
We’re flexible, welcoming and supportive, Fontaine said.
Food for Greater Elgin CEO Andres Diez said Fontaine is part of a strong core of about 200 volunteers, many of them retirees, who provide thousands of hours a year to the organization.
The idea to nominate Fontaine for the Meijer award grew out of an initiative Diez said he started three years ago after taking the job at Food for Greater Elgin. The Champion of the Month Award recognizes volunteers, and Fontaine was one of the first recipients.
Mary is dedicated, has a strong work ethic, a great skills set and a wonderful personality. She’s a team player and a proactive one, Diez said.
Help is especially preciated now, with the need for food assistance increasing due to inflation, changes in SN benefit regulations and upcoming changes in Medicaid policy, he said. The food pantry gets about 150,000 annual visits at its warehouse and through its offsite distribution service.
We anticipate that visits will go up by 20% to 25% for our new fiscal year, which starts this month, Diez said. We oversee the distribution of about 4 million pounds of food a year. With a staff of nine, we couldn’t do that without volunteers.
The organization is fortunate on so many levels, including that local foundations, businesses and individuals have stepped up to make sure the pantry is stocked, he said.
Meijer takes part in Food for Greater Elgin’s Direct Connect program by suppling food and other items the pantry. Its Elgin store also lets customers buy gift cards to be donated to the organization.
That’s been bringing in about $9,000 a year for us, Diez said. We typically spend about $10,000 a month buying items so that comes close to covering a month of those expenses.
For her part, Fontaine said she’s hpy to have found an organization to which she can give of her time during this stage of her life.
It’s about making a difference, giving back and adding goodness to the world, she said.
Mike Danahey is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.

With summer break underway across Northwest Arkansas, area school districts are once again offering free meal programs to help ensure children have access to food while classes are out of session.
From daily breakfast and lunch sites in Bentonville, Rogers and Siloam Springs to Farmington’s new weekly pickup option, districts are using a mix of meal programs to provide food at no cost to children and teens 18 years old and younger. The offerings are made regardless of family income or where the students attend school.
“Good student nutrition shouldn’t take a summer break. We need to be available year-round,” Cece Pederson with Aramark Student Nutrition said. The food service management company operates Bentonville’s program. “We want to keep everybody focused, fueled up and not worrying about where the food’s going to come from for the summer.”
In Bentonville, free meals are available Monday through Friday from June 1-July 31.
Breakfast runs from 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. followed by lunch from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m at Bentonville High School South on Southeast J Street and Thomas Jefferson Elementary on Bella Vista Road.
Also part of the district’s program, the Bentonville Public Library provides free lunches from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the front of the building.
Pederson said more than 30,000 meals were served last summer through the program.
Menus are available on the district’s website under the elementary and high school locations. Fresh fruit and vegetables are served daily, Pederson said.
Funded through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Summer Nutrition Program for Kids, the free meals “help your kids get the nutrition they need all summer long,” the district’s flyer about the program states.
FARMINGTON
In Farmington, the district’s five-day meal pickup service is available on Tuesdays in June from 9 to 9:30 a.m. at Folsom Elementary School.
Farmington has offered meals for the past two summers, but this is the first year families can pick up a workweek’s worth of shelf-stable items at once, Nutrition Director Wendy Burrus said.
The change eliminates the need for daily trips to meal sites and offers greater flexibility to families, Burrus said.
For now, the program will only run through June as district officials assess participation and staffing needs.
“We’ve got to get a handle on it before we can expand to the other summer months,” Burrus said.
Funded through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Seamless Summer program, the service has enrolled 71 families, she said.
Although registration has closed, Burrus encouraged families to seek out similar programs in neighboring districts, noting children can receive meals regardless of where they attend school or whether they qualify for free or reduced-price meals.
“Anybody can get these free ones, so just take advantage,” Burrus said.
For families facing higher grocery bills and the loss of school-year meal program, summer feeding sites and community food pantries can help bridge a critical g, according to organizers.
“We’ve seen an increase in the price of groceries right now,” Burrus said. “So I think it’s also an added benefit for families because they’re free.
FAYETTEVILLE
In Fayetteville, families can pick up daily meals at Owl Creek Elementary on North Rupple Road from 10:45 a.m. to 1:15 p.m June 1 through July 31.
Mobile meal sites are:
The American Legion on Curtis Avenue from 11-11:30 a.m.
The Yvonne Richardson Community Center on East Rock Street from noon-12:30 p.m.
St. James Missionary Btist Church at the corner of North Street and Leverett Avenue from 1-1:30 p.m.
Sites will be closed June 19 and June 29 through July 3, according to district’s flyer.
ROGERS
Rogers Public Schools offers free meals Monday through Friday from June 1 through July 31 at multiple school and mobile locations throughout Rogers and Lowell.
Breakfast service is available at Northside Elementary School and at the bus circle at Rogers Heritage High School from 8:30-9 a.m., according to a flyer posted on the districts’ website.
Lunch is served from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the following locations:
Northside Elementary on North Sixth Street.
Bus circle at Rogers Heritage High School off Seventh Street.
Frank Tillery Elementary School on South Seventh Street.
Westside Elementary School on West Oak Street.
Reagan Elementary School on West Olive.
Eastside Elementary School on East New Hope.
Mobile sites are the park at Lupine Way from 11-11:45 a.m., and near the splash pad Ward Neil Park in Lowell from 12:15-1 p.m.
Funding for the summer service is provided through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Seamless Summer program, according to the flyer.
SILOAM SPRINGS
In Siloam Springs, free meals are available from June 1 through Aug. 4, with service paused July 2-3.
Siloam Springs Middle School South will serve breakfast from 8-9 a.m. and lunch from 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Additional meal distribution sites are:
Whiterock and Christopher Drive from 11-11:20 a.m.
Kenwood Village and the Siloam Springs Library from 11:30-11:50 a.m.
Eliana Chacon Park and Dogwood Terrace from noon-12:20 p.m.
Registration is not required, according to the district’s website.
SPRINGDALE
Springdale Public Schools serves meals from 11 a.m.-noon Monday through Friday at the following sites on the following dates.
Harp Elementary from June 1-19.
Parson Hills Elementary from May 26-June 19.
George Elementary from June 1-July 31.
Elmdale Elementary from May 26-July 31.
Walker Elementary from June 1-July 26 and July 6-17.
All locations will be closed July 3.
The service, which is open to all children in the region, is part of the USDA Seamless Summer Option program, according to the district.
BEYOND SCHOOL DISTRICTS
Families seeking additional food assistance can also turn to local food pantries.
The Marshallese ENRA Food Pantry at 614 E. Emma Avenue, Suite 113, in Springdale is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesdays.
The pantry, which is listed on the Springdale School District’s website, operates through the Arkansas Coalition of Marshallese and has served the community since 2021, according to coordinator Fressana Lawin.
The pantry is open to everyone and serves about 60-100 people depending on the week, Lawin said.
Despite recent budget reductions, the pantry continues to focus on providing essential items — supplied by the Northwest Arkansas Food Bank — to families in need, Lawin said. These items include milk, meat and other stle foods.
First-time visitors will need to complete a registration form. People can also visit the pantry to schedule pointments to learn about assistance programs, including Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

One reason the $70 billion supplement industry is set to double in the next seven years? Lax regulation.
On today’s show, we tell the story of a century-long battle between the U.S. government and … you, the people, blinded by your love of a magic pill.
We’re talking about protein powders, pre-workouts, creatine, stuff for gut health, joint health, vitamin C, turmeric supplements. All that. You might not wanna hear this.
Sources mentioned in the episode:
Marion Nestle, Food Politics
Catherine Price, Vitamania
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This episode was hosted by Sarah Gonzalez and Jane Black. It was produced by Sam Yellowhorse Kesler, edited by Marianne McCune, and fact checked by Sierra Juarez with help with Vito Emanuel. It was engineered by Robert Rodriguez with help from Jimmy Keeley. Alex Goldmark is Planet Money’s executive producer.
Music: Universal Production Music – “Jupiter Girl,” “Sniffin Glue,” and “On The Rocks”