Yuletide: Foundation Distributes Food Items To Abuja Residents

The Walkiya Humanitarian Foundation has distributed food items to residents of Jikwoyi, Karu, in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to cushion the impact of the rising costs of living.

The intervention, which took place on Saturday, targeted individuals struggling to meet their daily food needs.

During the exercise held over the weekend in Abuja, the executive director of the foundation, Dr Dominic Egwuda, said the initiative was designed to support individuals who could not afford their next meal.

He said the programme was part of the corporate social responsibility of the Walkiya Group of Companies, implemented through the Walkiya Humanitarian Foundation.

Egwuda said the beneficiaries were drawn from different religious, ethnic and social backgrounds to ensure fairness and inclusiveness.

“These women you see here were carefully selected from all walks of life—Christians, Muslims and people from different tribes. Our focus was simple: people who cannot afford their next meal,” he said.

According to him, about 500 beneficiaries, most of them women, were supported in the exercise.

He added that each beneficiary received food items, including bags of rice, palm oil, noodles, and other household essentials, which were expected to last several days.

Egwuda said the outreach, now in its fourth year, is an annual event, adding that beneficiaries were selected through a transparent card distribution process within the community.

“We ensured that neither our staff nor their family members were involved. The selection was open and transparent, involving residents and passers-by who met the criteria,” he said.

Explaining the emphasis on women, Egwuda said women often bear the burden of hunger within households.

“When you empower a woman, you empower a nation. Food is managed largely by women in the home, so supporting them has a wider impact,” he added.

He disclosed that the intervention was solely funded by the Walkiya Group of Companies and  expressed its readiness to partner with public and private organisations to expand the programme.

“There were people who came without cards because they heard about the exercise. With partnerships, we can reach more people,” he said.

One of the beneficiaries, Sunday James, described the gesture as timely, saying the food items would help his family cope during the festive period.

Another beneficiary, Amaka Emmanuel, expressed gratitude to the foundation and prayed to God to replenish the resources of the donors.