The main beneficiaries will be children under the age of five, pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers.

Raquel Rafael, a local resident, said, "I feel happy and we are all excited to have this kind and generous person (McFarland) who is acting for our benefit to provide food for us."

The drought has prompted the government to deliver food packages to six times as many families as last year.

Much of Guatemala's prime agricultural land is given over to large coffee, sugar and African palm plantations.

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