Salvation Army delivers relief supplies to Bavi-hit Rota

The CNMI Salvation Army distributed eight pallets of canned goods on Rota last Saturday, July 25, to help residents recovering from the devastation caused by Super Typhoon Bavi, while additional relief distributions are planned for Saipan and assistance for Tinian is also being assessed pending updated damage reports.

The food distribution was carried out by a Salvation Army team that traveled to Rota after the supplies had already been pre-positioned on the island.

"We took a team and went to Rota for a day. We had already pre-positioned the food, and it was primarily canned goods," said CNMI Salvation Army pastor Wayne Gillespie.

The team included Salvation Army personnel from Guam, Hawaii, and the organization's Emergency Disaster Services division.

The team also brought family relief items donated by Baby2Baby, a nonprofit organization that assists families affected by disasters.

The Salvation Army partnered with Grace Christian Assembly for the distribution on Rota. Wayne said the church also serves as the organization's partner on Tinian.

"We found the people of Rota to be exactly what we knew they would be. They were friendly, humble," Wayne said.

"They were efficient, adapted quickly to changing circumstances. So we knew they would be flexible, and we knew that their distribution would go well. And it did."

Asked how much food was distributed, Wayne replied, "Eight pallets," adding that the shipment consisted primarily of canned meat.

Wayne said the Salvation Army is preparing additional distributions but is waiting for updated damage assessments before determining how much assistance can be sent to the other islands.

"And we have some more, and we're looking to see if we're going to be able to share with the other islands. Right now we're waiting for the latest damage assessment reports to come in. But we will have some here on Saipan, and we'll be distributing those soon," he said.

He added that the Salvation Army continues to assist families on Saipan who remain without electricity.

"We continue. We're continuing to feed even here on Saipan," Wayne said. "We move between meal distributions and food bags, depending on where we see the need."

The CNMI Salvation Army is part of the Hawaiian and Pacific Islands Division of The Salvation Army and serves Hawaii, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, and the Republic of the Marshall Islands.