The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Free food

  • 17,000 households receive free food palliative in six Osun LGAs 

    17,000 households receive free food palliative in six Osun LGAs 

    Over 17,000 households across six Local Government Areas in Osun State have benefited from food palliatives distributed to ease the impact of soaring inflation in 2025.

    The distribution, organized by the Oluwaseun Peoples Foundation (OPF), targeted vulnerable groups, including the aged and widows, in Ede North, Ede South, Iwo, Ayedire, Irewole, and Isokan LGAs. The food items distributed included rice, beans, and other essentials.

    Speaking during the distribution in Ikoyi, the foundation’s convener, Pastor Oluwaseun Alabi, expressed condolences to victims of recent stampedes in Ibadan, Anambra, and Abuja.

    Read Also: 1000 residents get free food package

    Deputy Coordinator of OPF, Comrade Salensile Muideen, emphasized the initiative’s impact: “Over 17,000 households benefited from this gesture. Our focus is on the Osun West Senatorial District to support those in need.”

    “We will continue to identify with the needy by giving support to the people on yearly basis. We started in Iwo and Ayedire two day ago, and yesterday we were in Ede to distribute palliative and today we are in Irewole and Ikoyi now.”

  • Free food for displaced children

    As part of its corporate social responsibility, New Castle Food Limited, producers of Nau Nau foods, has donated food items to 45 displaced children at the Linking Hand Foundation.

    The children, who are between seven and 15, were displaced last year in Otodo Gbame community, Lagos and are under a free pre-school progamme of Linking Hand Foundation.

    The firm’s Marketing Manager, Ms Nsikan Osoh said  the donation was aimed at helping helpless children.

    She said: “The challenge with food security is real in Nigeria as tons of food waste every day and it is incumbent on us to provide food to children who may not have access to good food.”

    She said energy provided by healthy foods ensures that children would be ready to participate in learning.

    Osoh noted that the company is passionate about helping hapless children in displaced communities.

    She said the firm gave the food to the pre-school programme to harness the potential of the hapless children and engaged them to  improve their lives.

    She said: “Thank you New Castle Foods for today’s free food and for making our dream to give these indigent children a healthy meal-a-day as part of our No Limits Education Project, a reality”.

    She continued: “Many times I am overwhelmed by the “so much” there is to do in meeting the needs of the less privileged in our society. I often wonder how it would all be done. Then I remind myself that “Every little makes up the big”.

    Efe Farinre, who noted that the foundation sought for the displaced children in Otodo Gbame last year, said  the firm was providing them free-school programme that would help in preparing the children for the next academy year in any public school around the area.

    Farinre added: “Many of the children have been battered and shattered, so much so that they have come to see life as one-sided and strictly in favour of the rich and privileged few.

    “These children carry a strong sense of pain and the feeling of injustice and insecurity in their own country, hence the need to restore hope to them by impacting their lives in very positive and practical ways.’’

  • Firm gives displaced children free food

    New Castle Food Limited, producers of Nau Nau foods, has donated food items to 45 displaced children in Linking Hand Foundation.

    The children, who are between the ages of 7 and 15, were displaced last year from Otodo Gbame community, Lagos and are under a free pre-school progamme of Linking Hand Foundation.

    Speaking at the event, the Marketing Manager, New Castle Food Limited, Ms Nsikan Osoh, said the donation of the food items was part of the company social responsibility to vulnerable and helpless children in the society.

    She said: “The challenge with food security is real in Nigeria as tons of food waste every day and it is incumbent on us to provide food to children who may not have access to good food. We gave tons of food items to children in Internally Displaced Camps across the North and we are willing to do more and help children in need.

    “Our food was developed by Nigerians for Nigerians. We are starting construction on our factory outside Lagos in early 2017. Based on our market research, many people want to have the product sooner. Until the factory has been completed, we are working with a world class manufacturer to produce the Nau Nau food.”

    The founder of Linking Hands Foundation, Mrs. Efe Farinre, said the pre-school programme was founded to use education to harness the enormous potentials of the hapless children and engage them.

    She said: “Thank you New Castle Foods for today’s free food and for making our dream to give these indigent children a healthy meal-a-day as part of our No Limits Education Project, a reality.

    “Many times I am overwhelmed by the so much there is to do in meeting the needs of the less privilege in our society. I often wonder how it would all be done. Then I remind myself that ‘every little makes up the big’”.

    Farinre , who noted that foundation sought for the displaced children from the forceful eviction carried out in Otodo Gbame last year, said: “We are providing them with free-school programme that would help in preparing the children for the next academy year in any public school around the area.

     

     

     

     

  • Free food, facilities for orphanage

    Free food, facilities for orphanage

    _DSC0829Not everyone is distracted by reports of unscrupulous characters turning orphanages into hideous money-making ventures. There are groups and individuals who recognise that children without parents need help. A Dublin, Ireland-based group, Old Bende Association, has built recreational facilities for children at the Uzoakoli Motherless Babies Home in Bende Local Government Area, Abia State. The donors, made up of indigenous people of the council, also provided various food items for the orphanage.

    The home, established in 1942 by the Methodist Church of Nigeria, is a refuge for orphans and abandoned children. There were about 29 children at the home when The Nation visited, but it was also gathered that some inmates have become professionals in various fields after being educated or trained in skills.

    The orphanage, however, still grapples with such challenges as dearth of healthcare facilities and baby foods, and among others.

    A staff in the home said that government and private hospitals still charge inmates as they do other patients, not considering the peculiarities of orphanages.

    “The way we live here and play with the children, if anyone gets sick and when we take them to the hospital for treatment, even when they know that we are from this motherless babies home, they still charge us like every other person,” the staff said.

    The gesture of the Ireland-based group will boost their morale.

    The project and the food items donated were estimated to cost the association about N200, 000.

    Speaking at the handover of the items, National President of the association, Sunday Obasi Kalu represented by Mr. James O. Anya, said that the donation was part of the Old Bende Association members in Diaspora to plough a little of their meager resources into  the lives of the needy in their midst.

    He expressed optimism that the facilities would go a long way in improving the health and social life of the children.

    Awa Kalu, the Income Generating Officer of the home who spoke on behalf of the absent matron, Mary Corput, said that they were happy over the group’s gesture.

    Kalu said that they were overwhelmed with joy when the group told them they wanted to repair and refurbish their sporting facilities which had been comatose. He expressed the hope that the coming to life of the facilities would help to improve on the inmates social life.

    He called on other indigenes of the area, government, public and spirited individuals to come to the aid of the home, disclosing that the most pressing needs of the home at the moment are baby foods, diapers, access to medical facilities including drugs and among others.

    He promised that they were going to ensure that whatever that the group and other individuals were going to donate to the home would be used judiciously.

    The group also took out time to play with the children and also watched the children play with the donated sporting equipments.

  • Free food in Borno

    Free food in Borno

    Borno State government yesterday launched the 29th edition of the Free Food Distribution (FFD).

    The ceremony was performed by Governor Kashim Shettima, who hailed the dedication of the Borno State Emergency  Management  Agency (BSEMA).

    He praised the agency for its commitment in free food distribution in the metropolis since its inception.

    Shettima sympathised with the people.

    He noted that  “the prevailing challeges in the state are  beyond religious and regional or ethnic problems”, assuring that “government will do its best to cater for the  people and restore peace.

    “Insurgency in the state and in the Northeast requires constitutional responsibility. The state government will  show its concern and care for the welfare and living condition of its citizens.”

    Deputy Governor Zanna Umar Mustapha slammed  the Federal  Government  for the insecurity in the state and in the Northeast.

    He said it was sad that the insurgency had displaced many people.

    The deputy governor lauded the initiative of the free food distribution by his boss, stressing that the programme had touched lives.

    He enjoined the people to vote credible candidates,  who would deliver the dividends of democracy.

    The Executive Chairman of the Borno State Emergency Management  Agency,  Shani Grema Terab, said the exercise was the 29th in the series of the FFD.