The weekend getaway which started on a high note for the volunteers of the Lagos Food Bank Initiative as Friday 2nd to Sunday 4th, 2022 as the Lagos Food Bank Initiative organized its third volunteer weekend getaway to celebrate the achievements and efforts of its volunteers and also to encourage nationwide volunteerism. The weekend getaway started with volunteers engaging with box packaging activities in preparation for the outreach at Badagry later in the day and breakfast was served as we waited for all volunteers to converge at the warehouse assembly point. “I am looking forward to having fun and connecting with people,” said Joshua, a volunteer before leaving for badagry.

Lagos Food Bank reached vulnerable families with food, relief and personal care items to sustain a family of 5 for 2-4 weeks. The members of the community welcomed the team with enthusiasm as we arrived at the outreach venue and the outreach started in earnest. Although there was a delay in reaching the community, all beneficiaries were attended to and all received their boxes of hope. The day ended with all volunteers sorted into their rooms and a mini night party was held at the front of the lodge as the excitement of volunteers had not worn off.

Saturday was filled with lots of activities as the day started with morning exercises, aerobics, football match amongst volunteers and breakfast at the front of the lodge. All volunteers were transported to the next activity venue which took place at Whispering Palms where volunteers engaged in all types of activities such as volleyball, swimming, biking and lots of fun games with non-stop music. The day continued with a cocktail/award night party which kicked off with more fun games, music, lots of food, snacks, and drinks to go round.

The welcome speech by the president of Lagos Food Bank, Mr. Michael Sunbola, who appreciated and commended the hard work, and commitment of all volunteers to the work they do in the organization. He went on to charge volunteers to keep up the good work as their efforts were not going unnoticed and progressed to the award segment as three volunteers; Tolulope Obasuyi, Iroanya Chinelo and Abraham Adonor presented awards of Leadership Excellence and recognized for their leadership abilities, dedication, consistency, contributions, and participation in the activities of the Lagos Food Bank. The night party concluded with more drinks, games, dancing, and non-stop music.

The weekend getaway ended with a trip by boat to the Point of No Return tourist site, where volunteers were given a tour of various sites and history lesson of the slave trade in Nigeria. The IVD event was indeed a memorable experience for all.