Following its first year to receive packages from Operation Christmas Drop, Koror State is dividing the presents among its 12 hamlets, where they will be distributed to families in need.
Koror State, with a much larger population than the other states, received fifteen packages in the drops, three more than most of the other states where drops took place. While sites like Angaur, Kayangel, and Peleliu received three packages a day on December 6, 7, 9, and 10, Koror received an extra drop on the final day.
The bundles, which each weighed between 400 and 600 pounds, carried supplies such as canned goods, Ramen and other foods, First-Aid kits, toothbrushes, and clothing, said Public Works Director Leslie Tewid. The goods from the packages were divided into twelve collections and were picked up by the legislators from each hamlet. The legislators will allegedly be responsible for distributing the goods to families most in need.
Each State which received packages from the Drops has its own system for gift distribution. Peleliu State has said that it plans to distribute the presents particularly among the children on island at a Christmas Carol event tomorrow night, while Kayangel State is distributing gifts by delivering a “lucky number” to every household, which will tell them which gifts they received.
Due to the FSM’s decision to not participate in the Christmas Drop this year, Palau received a larger share of the 70,000 pounds of goods collected by donors in Guam. The Christmas tradition, which began in 1952, involves Air Force personnel flying low over islands in Micronesia and dropping bundles attached to parachutes over designated pickup areas. In addition to delivering gifts and supplies to the islands, the Drop provides training for Air Force pilots in preparation for emergencies, should aid ever need to be delivered to the islands by air.
Christmas Drop gifts to be distributed among Koror’s hamlets
