RCCG Provides Food, Clothing To 2,000 Vulnerable Residents In Abuja

On Sunday, the Everlasting Arms Parish, Redeemed Christian Church of God in Garki, provided food, shoes, and clothing to no fewer than 2,000 vulnerable Abuja residents.

The annual alms program known as ”Tabitha Tent,” which began in 2007, is designed to support the poor and vulnerable with food items, clothes, and shoes, among other humanitarian materials.

Some of the beneficiaries, in an interview with newsmen, expressed their satisfaction and appreciation to the donors and organisers of the program.

They called on the government to initiate policies and programs such as Tabitha Tent to alleviate the suffering of the common man.

A beneficiary, Mr. Gonet Jato, said that he received rice, beans, and some other materials to support him and his family at the Yuletide.

“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,” he said.

Another beneficiary, Ms. Happiness Jacob, said, “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,” he said.

Another beneficiary, Ms. Victoria Ola, prayed that God would bless the members of the church and their supporters who made the 2024 Tabitha Tent possible.

She said that they had done so much to put smiles on the faces of the poor and beamed a ray of hope at such a difficult time in their lives.

“We are praying for those who gave us these items; may Almighty God bless them; they gave us a lot.

“They gave clothes, rice, beans, garri, and some other things. I pray to God to bless them in Jesus name.

“The person who brought this initiative and those who supported it, may God increase them more, and I wish the government will support them so they can reach out to more poor people,” she said.

Earlier, Pastor Everistus Azodo, who is in charge of the parish, called on well-to-do Nigerians to support the poor.

Azodo, who is also the Assistant Provisional Pastor in charge of Christian Social Responsibility, identified the lack of functional social safety nets as one of the major problems in the country.

“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,” he said.

He said that the Tabitha Tent program, which began 20 years ago, was designed to reach out to people irrespective of their region, tribe, or creed.

According to him, some people are not certain of a meal a day, not to mention three square meals, as things are getting narrower by the day.

He said that the idea behind the Tabitha Tent initiative was to reach out to people irrespective of creed and provide them with some support for a good meal and other needs this Christmas.

One of the program’s coordinators, Mrs. Modupe Ogundimu, acknowledged all the donors and supporters of the program that made it a success, including the beneficiaries.

She said that the church has a skill acquisition program where vulnerable people are taught skills to be able to fend for themselves.

Ogundimu explained that the program was specially designed to give gift items that everybody wants at Christmas.

“During seasons like this, we want to support people to have a decent meal,” she said.

NAN