PORTLAND, Oregon — The Pacific Islander community in Oregon and Washington has launched a CNMI relief drive in response to Typhoon Sinlaku, with collection sites now active in Beaverton and Vancouver and organizers reporting an overwhelming response.
“We’re gonna need a bigger U-Haul,” said contributor Mike Towai, describing the volume of donations already coming in.
The CNMI Relief Drive was organized under the banner “Together for Our Islands” and is collecting bottled water, non-perishable food, clothing of all sizes, blankets and towels, hygiene products, baby supplies and first aid items. Organizers said solar panels, power banks, rechargeable batteries and other power-related items are especially needed given the island-wide outages across Saipan, Tinian and Rota.
The Beaverton drop-off site is at the Walmart parking lot at 9055 SW Murray Blvd and is open noon to 5:00 PM starting Saturday, April 18. The Vancouver, Washington site is at the Evergreen Habitat for Humanities parking lot at 10811 SE 2nd St and is open 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM starting Sunday, April 19.
A separate effort organized by RJKC LLC and Islander Connect is also mobilizing Pacific Islander business owners and entrepreneurs in the Portland area to coordinate container packing and freight logistics. The container recipient is the Northern Marianas Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence, which will coordinate distribution with partner organizations. Container coordination is being handled by Yvette Sablan and Lawrence Duenas.
Volunteers are also needed for sorting and packing donated goods, transportation and logistics support, social media outreach and Chamorro and Carolinian translation assistance.
For more information, contact CNMILBDGOLF@gmail.com or reach Mike Towai at mike.towai@gmail.com or 971-268-4235.
