COVID-19: Church feeds ‘4,000 people’, volunteers 1,000-capacity building as isolation centre

A total of 4,000 persons in Lagos state have benefitted from a food bank launched by The Elevation Church.

The church has also volunteered its 1,000 and 650-capacity buildings in Maryland and Lekki to the Lagos state government to be used as isolation and testing centres.

The food bank is part of the church’s efforts to cushion the negative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on job availability in the state.

A statement issued on Friday by Chinny Ugoji, media officer of the church, noted that “the ability of many in the informal sector/daily wage earners to provide food for themselves and their family has been greatly hindered by the virus,” and as a result, the church launched the initiative which has fed 4,000 indigent persons, while plans to cater for an additional 2,000 people is already underway.

The food bank, which is set up by Pistis Foundation, TEC’s social intervention arm, offered relief packs containing items such as rice, beans, garri, tinned tomatoes, milk, sugar and oil.

“These provisions given to beneficiaries to help feed in these critical times, when economic activities have stalled, have been greatly received by the recipients,” it read.

“Amongst prayers and words of sincere gratitude to the church, some beneficiaries revealed that the food packs received were the only hope of food as former breadwinners suddenly found themselves without a source of livelihood this period.

“Upon launch of the food bank, the Foundation established a methodology in assessing and prioritising delivery of materials to the most affected families. The beneficiaries are selected only after a request has been placed to the call centre or other channels set up for the purpose of processing applications. After a beneficiary is selected, the relief pack is delivered directly them in partnership with GIG logistics.”

Speaking on the initiative, Godman Akinlabi, lead pastor of TEC, said one of the cardinal objectives of the church is to make practical impact in people’s lives.

“From our E200 programme designed to support the most financially challenged at the bottom of the socioeconomic pyramid, to our Ubomi Medical/Surgical Outreach to the medically underserved, and our Pistis Foundation driving several other people-centric initiatives, we have embedded within our DNA, an ingrained culture of practically uplifting lives,” he said.

Pistis Foundation and the church’s team of medical professionals are also providing free medical interventions at no cost to the beneficiaries; this is done in partnership with St. Kizito’s Clinic, Lekki and Chion Hospital, Maryland, Lagos.

TEC has also partnered with the Institute of Family Engineering and Development to provide free psychological counselling services to “people who require support or a listening ear at this time”, while also deploying more phone lines for church counselling services.