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Torres: ‘No student should go hungry’
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Posted on Mar 26 2020
The government is making sure that CNMI students remain well-fed, despite the closure of schools, through the meal distribution program called Grab&Go, where parents pick up the meals intended for students.
Gov. Ralph DLG Torres joined Board of Education chair Janice Tenorio and Education Commissioner Dr. Alfred Ada yesterday at the Saipan Southern High School to check on the first day of the program’s implementation.
“No student should go hungry, especially during times like these,” Torres said. “Our administration and our COVID-19 Task Force are assisting the CNMI Public School System and their food vendors in this distribution effort. We are committed to remaining Marianas Strong.”
Following the Public School System’s transition to distance education and the schools being closed for the remainder of the school year, the Office of the Governor, the COVID-19 Task Force, and PSS’ Child Nutrition Program collaborated to ensure that over 10,000 eligible children in the Marianas could get their school meals.
Under CNMI’s Grab&Go, every child, ages 18 and below, is provided with one meal set—breakfast, lunch, and snack—that parents will then get from designated pick-up sites. That means parents and guardians have one less thing to worry about, at least in terms of meals for the children, during this pandemic.
“Please only go out for quick trips to the grocery store for essentials and to pick up food. There is no need to panic-buy, Marianas. We are all in this together,” Torres added.
Rep. Tina Sablan (Ind-Saipan) has asked parents to be kind to the men and women who keep the Grab&Go program going.
“Please be extra kind to all the staff who are working hard, and under very stressful conditions, to get this program up and running so that all of the CNMI’s children can get nutritious meals every day during this public health emergency and not go to bed hungry,” Sablan said.
The Grab&Go meals can be picked up Monday to Friday, from 9:30 to 10:30am. People are advised to observe social distancing when picking meals.
