Food stamp grantees increase 18 percent • Seventy percent of recipients are below 18 years old, says NAP Director James Kintol

As the island’s economy continues to reel from the effects of the Asian-wide financial crisis, the number of food stamp recipients jumped 18 percent from October to April 1999 compared to the same period in the previous fiscal year.

With this increase, the Nutritional Assistance Program now incurs close to $350,000 in monthly expenses for a total of 4,501 recipients.

“If we continue to see an increase in the number of program participants and exceed from the budget given to us, we would have to negotiate for an additional fund with the federal government next year,” said James Kintol, NAP director.

Almost 20 percent of the $5.1 million block grant received by NAP for this year from the federal government has been allotted for the administration of the program. So far, NAP has not exceeded its budget since the implementation of the Welfare Reform Act because any unused amount at the end of the fiscal year goes back to the federal government.

The Commonwealth government has been seeing a reduction in the number of recipients since the food stamp program was established until the mighty economies of Asia started to crumble in July 1997.

According to Kintol, the plunge in the CNMI’s tourism economy has led to a huge decline in income of many local entrepreneurs, including taxi operators, because of the huge drop in visitor arrivals last year.

Kintol added that many locals were also affected when some government agencies and private companies carried out a cutback in of manhours to cope with the unexpected revenue losses. To make matters worse, some locals lost their jobs when their contracts were not renewed by government agencies as a result of the 13.4 percent budget cut for the current fiscal year.

Among the food stamp grantees, NAP has also noted an increasing number of teenage mothers who have sought assistance. “In the weekly orientation which we conduct, we always have at least one or two teenagers who apply for assistance because they have already given birth,” Kintol said.

Even the Department of Public Health has reported an increase in the number of teenage pregnancies despite its campaign for responsible sex. Of the total food stamp recipients, 3,165 are below 18 years old.

In cooperation with the Northern Marianas College, NAP offers educational assistance to help the low-income earners become financially independent. The adult education classes include General Education Development or trade courses, which would allow them to seek better employment.

Early this year, NAP launched the Expanded Food and Nutrition Program, which offer participants assistance in budgeting, guidance in choosing nutritious foods and even skills in sewing their own clothes.

To ensure that recipients are also looking for jobs, NAP refers them to the Department of Labor and Immigration for possible job placement. When the DOLI calls them for a job interview and they do not report, NAP immediately eliminates them from the program.