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Salvation Army gives out 300 trays of food
Volunteers for the Salvation Army’s Thanksgiving meal giveaway gather for a group photo at their site in Gualo Rai on Nov. 24. (Michael T. Santos)
Despite a series of electrical problems, the CNMI Salvation Army still managed to hand out 300 trays of Thanksgiving meals to their clients yesterday.
The trays—filled with slices of turkey, ham, mixed vegetables, and pumpkin pie—were distributed at both Kagman and Gualo Rai Salvation Army sites on island.
“There was a good turnout today,” said Salvation Army Pastor Wayne Gillespie. “We served approximately 100 meals here in Gualo Rai and then we served 200 in Kagman. We had some challenges today like how half of our electricity in the building went out and it’s Thanksgiving Day so we had problems trying to get someone to come out to fix it. We are now trying to rig our refrigerators so we won’t have to throw food out. …We did pretty well.”
Gillespie pointed out that those who went to their soup kitchens also went to make a donation.
“We’re happy with the number of people who showed up as well as others walking in to donate. There were cash donations, the first lady [Diann Torres] came in with a turkey, and we were happy with that.” Gillespie said. “We think there’s a lot of folks out there who can’t afford a Thanksgiving meal and so we hope to provide that for them and their families. Some people just don’t have any other place to go and they would like to come looking for other people and seeking fellowship.”
First lady Diann Torres, through the Lady Diann Torres Foundation, donates turkeys to the Salvation Army’s soup kitchen on Thanksgiving Day. (Contributed Photo)
Gillespie thanks all the volunteers who showed up at the two sites as well as those who came over to either donate or just have a meal with them.
A volunteer, Raga Kslina Fitipol Adolfo, said, “I volunteered mainly for my community service hours for school but it was fun. Not only did I get to help the community, volunteering might also help me find a job easily in the future.”
