Christmas came early for hundreds of vulnerable families in Oshodi community as Lagos Food Bank in partnership with Montego Upstream Services Limited distributed boxes of food, personal care items and clothing items to them. The Temporary Emergency Food Assistance Program also known as the Community intervention is one of the six programs the non-governmental organization, Lagos Food Bank runs. “Through our TEFAP program, we are able to provide assistance to indigent families living in underserved communities in Nigeria and we are able to do much more through partnerships and collaborations like this.” said the president of the organization, Mr. Sunbola.
The food bank truck and other members of the Lagos Food Bank team arrived at the venue at 10:50 am on Saturday morning. Upon arrival at the venue, beneficiaries and other children in the community received the Lagos Food Bank team with a warm welcome. Representatives from the Montego Upstream Services team also joined the Lagos Food Bank volunteers at the venue and immediately joined in offloading the items from the food truck. Mrs. John, one of the beneficiaries of the distribution said “When they came to register my name last week and they mentioned ‘Lagos Food Bank’, I assumed they were from the Lagos state government. The next day, I got to the market where I sell roasted corn and I was telling another trader about it. She immediately told me that they are not government oh and they have also come to share food in her area. Today, I am very excited seeing them bring out all these food items they brought for us.” Due to the scorching heat of the sun, the ‘Montego Boxes of Hope’ and other essential items were arranged quickly in batches on the ground and registered beneficiaries who are majorly old-aged women, pregnant and lactating mothers were given the items and dismissed quickly. The ‘Montego boxes of hope’ which contain food and personal care items were arranged & distributed to the registered beneficiaries. Other members of the community who were not registered equally benefited from other relief materials (sanitary pads, fairly used clothes, shoes, bags, etc.). The vulnerable people of Oshodi expressed their gratitude to the Lagos Food Bank and Montego Upstream Services team on how their lives were touched by the kind acts of relief, supply of food and personal care items.