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$6.9M food stamps issued
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Posted on Jan 07 2006
The Nutrition Assistance Program issued more than $6.9 million worth of food stamps in the CNMI in fiscal year 2005, based on the program’s recently issued summary of expenditures. The report also shows an increase of 695 in the number of households receiving food stamps during the fiscal year.
The report showed that, in fiscal year 2005—covering the period from October 2004 to September 2005—the program released $6,955,411 worth of food assistance to needy members of the CNMI community.
NAP administrator Walter I. Macaranas said Friday the outflow of benefits show an increase in the numbers every year.
Based on statistics provided by the program, Saipan-based beneficiaries received the biggest amount of food assistance this fiscal year at 93.4 percent or $6,493,105, followed by Rota, with 3.7 percent or $258,695. Next is Tinian, with 2.7 percent or $186,330, then the Northern Islands with only 0.2 percent or only $17,281 worth of benefits.
Based on ethnicity, Macaranas said that majority of recipients were Chamorros, at 54.2 percent or $3,771,619, followed by Carolinians, with 20.3 percent or $1,409,376 worth of food benefits.
Other ethnic groups who also benefited from the program were Filipinos, with 10.9 percent or $756,693; Chuukese, with 6.5 percent or $454,543; Palauans, with 4.6 percent or $320,236; Pohnpeians, with 1.8 percent or 124,725; and Yapese, with 0.5 percent or $34,788 worth of nutritional benefits.
Other groups, including Americans, Koreans, Taiwanese, Marshalese, Indonesians, Bangladeshis, Nepalese, Japanese, Chinese, Thais, Kosraeans and Samoans, also benefited from the program, with a total of $83,431 worth of food assistance.
Macaranas said the figures show that the agency’s expenditures significantly increased almost every month due to the increase of active household members in the program.
By the end of fiscal year 2005, the total number of active members in the program reached a whopping 7,513, against the recorded number at the start of the fiscal year in October 2004, at only 6,818 active members. This means there was an increase of 695 households who availed of food stamps during the fiscal year.
