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Karidat distributes relief items to parishes
Karidat has started giving out relief items to parishes, with Tanapag and San Roque villages as their first stops yesterday.
Residents in Tanapag line up at the Santa Remedios Church for Karidat’s distribution of relief items yesterday. Karidat will be visiting each of the parishes on Saipan this week. (Frauleine S. Villanueva)
According to Karidat, 100 bags will be given out for each parish. The first two were San Roque parish and Santa Remedios.
For today, they will be distributing at Kristo Rai and San Jose parishes.
“We know that our office is in Chalan Piao; it’s hard for people to get there,” Karidat executive director Laurie Ogumoro told Saipan Tribune.
“That’s why we figured, there’s a church in every village so that’s the easiest way, to go to the churches and get things out for everyone,” she added.
Ogumoro said they will be at Mt. Carmel Cathedral and San Antonio parishes on Thursday and at St. Jude, San Vicente, and Santa Soledad parishes on Friday.
The organization, together with members of the CNMI 19th Legislature, handed out bags containing canned goods, soba, soaps, toothpastes, and cans of butane gas.
Karidat and their volunteers only started repacking Monday due to Tropical Storm Goni passing through the CNMI over the weekend but Ogumoro said they wanted to distribute right away even as they are still repacking other donated items.
Members of the community peacefully lined up and the distribution went smoothly. Residents said the relief items are a big help.
“It’s a big help of course,” 60-year-old Erma Arcangeles said.
“This is a big help for us who don’t have jobs right now because the restaurant where we work is closed,” San Roque resident Marites Isip said.
Rep. George Camacho (R-Saipan) helped with the distribution.
“I’d like to thank Karidat for coming out to the community and being in the church for the distribution,” Camacho said, adding that it made it easier for the people in their precinct to get help.
Ogumoro said those who wanted to stop by in their office can still go there and get help.
“We have some supplies there,” she said.
