On June 21 2025, Lagos Food Bank Initiative held an impactful outreach at the Food Bank warehouse in Mangoro, Ikeja, supporting 300 widows and their respective households in underserved communities across Lagos State.
Sponsored by a longtime friend and partner of the Food Bank, a couple with the initials S.A.L.T, demonstrated pure benevolence by providing essential food relief to vulnerable widows suffering from food insecurity, and majorly affected by the rising living costs in recent times.
In the absence of the partner of the day, the Founder/Executive Director of the Lagos Food Bank Initiative, Dr. Michael Sunbola, deeply appreciated the volunteers present at the outreach, singling out the new attendees for a heartwarming welcome in the form of an applause. He gave an account of the impact journey of the partners with the Food Bank, stretching as far back as 8 years ago, and expressed his gratitude for their support over the years till this moment, when their kindness will be greatly felt even in their absence. He also encouraged the volunteers to remain steadfast in their pursuit of a better society for all through volunteerism and agents of positive change-makers, reinstating that the change we long to see in our society begins with us.
In a testimonial video from one of the beneficiaries of the outreach, Mrs. Elizabeth Ajayi, a widow of 5 children living in Mushin community, appreciated the Food Bank and partners with prayers, confessing to the immense hardship she had faced lately in providing for her household. Others like her did the same even without the microphone and camera to capture their words, showing that many widows struggle on a daily basis, a plight the Food Bank seeks to address on a sustainable level.
In observance of International Widows Day, this outreach facilitated by the Food Bank and its partner represented a beacon of hope to struggling widows globally, and serves as a reminder to stand in solidarity with widows for equity and justice for a better society for all.