Shilling along with her husband, Saipan Rotary Club vice president Pete Shilling, received toys donated by the office of Congressman Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan last Friday.
Shilling said when Salvation Army opened here in November last year, only a handful of people sought its assistance.
But the number gradually grew and during the Thanksgiving lunch the Minachom Atdao last Thursday, Shilling said over 100 people showed up.
This indicates that there are a lot of hungry people in the CNMI, she added.
“Since the economy has gotten really bad, a lot of people are going to Salvation Army public events to have something to eat,” she said.
Some of these people are her own relatives, she noted.
Many of those who wanted to eat stayed behind because they were embarrassed to be seen by others, she said.
They stayed in their vehicles and when the crowd thinned, they got down, took the food and rushed back to their cars, she added.
“There were a lot of kids with them. When I looked at them, my heart breaks. I saw people I did not expect to see there. But it appears they have no choice. They have to do it for their kids,” she said.
For his part, Pete Shilling expressed his gratitude to Sablan for the donated toys.
“If these parents cannot buy food for their kids, how can they buy toys for them? And what is Christmas for kids without toys?” he asked.
Sablan told Shilling that he’s working hard to get more food stamps for the CNMI.
He continues to urge the administration to join him in his effort to include the CNMI in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance program, but the governor said the commonwealth cannot afford the administrative costs involved.
