The Everlasting Arms Parish of the Redeemed Christian Church of God in Garki, Abuja, on Sunday, extended a helping hand to over 2,000 vulnerable residents by distributing food items, clothing, and shoes.
The initiative is part of their annual almsgiving programme, Tabitha Tent, which has been running since 2007.
This outreach aims to provide essential support to the less privileged, particularly during festive periods.
Beneficiaries, speaking to journalists, expressed their gratitude to the organizers and donors. They also urged the government to emulate such initiatives to alleviate the plight of the impoverished.
One recipient, Mr. Gonet Jato, shared how the support would benefit his family “We thank Redeemed Church for what they have done for us, they have done so well, we appreciate them and may God bless them. To our President, the poor are suffering. Please look at what is happening in the country and do something to help the suffering man. It is not easy for us the poor, look at the crowd here. If not for Redeemed, what will be our hope? What we have received can take us for one to two weeks. Government should please look out for us as citizens of this country.”
Ms. Happiness Jacob also expressed her delight, “I am very happy and grateful. I pray for those who gave all these gifts. May God open more ways for them so that they can keep on helping us. I got clothes, biscuits, and rice. I want the government to come to our aid, especially during this Christmas season. People are suffering, going about looking for their daily bread to eat, yet no food. We are suffering; many people are dying because of hunger.”
Another beneficiary, Ms. Victoria Ola, prayed for blessings upon the organizers and their supporters, “We are praying for those who gave us these items; may Almighty God bless them. They gave us a lot—clothes, rice, beans, and garri, and some other things. I pray God to bless them in Jesus’ name. The person that brought this initiative and those who supported it, may God increase them more, and I wish the government would support them so they can reach out to more poor people.”
The Assistant Provisional Pastor in charge of Christian Social Responsibility for the parish, Pastor Everistus Azodo, highlighted the importance of collective effort in addressing the challenges faced by vulnerable populations.
He noted the lack of a functional social safety net in Nigeria as a significant issue, “One of the greatest challenges we have in our country is the lack of a proper social safety net. In many advanced countries, they have a welfare system that provides for the poor, which is an official government function. In Nigeria, our social safety net has remained members of the extended family system. But when you have a family where everyone is struggling, you can see that we have a real problem. We want to encourage as many people who can, to reach out to as many as they can. It is a difficult thing; the government itself is in straits as it is, so we cannot push everything to the government. All of us have to pull together and try to help our people.”
Pastor Azodo explained that Tabitha Tent was established two decades ago to support people irrespective of their background, ensuring they can enjoy a decent meal during Christmas.
One of the coordinators of the programme, Mrs. Modupe Ogundimu, expressed appreciation to all the donors who made the event successful.
She noted that the church also runs a skill acquisition programme to empower vulnerable individuals with sustainable means of earning a livelihood.
“During seasons like this, we want to support people to have a decent meal,” she said.
The Tabitha Tent initiative continues to bring relief to the needy, offering not just material support but also hope during challenging times.
