As nations all over the world work to address the critical issue of economic recovery and job losses, many community- based feeding assistance programmes continue to experience increasing pressure to provide food for those who now find themselves in the ‘hunger belt’ and who are not able to provide adequate food for themselves and their dependants. There is no doubt that there is an increasing number of people caught in this food gap, needing or relying on food assistance.
Feeding assistance programmes at community levels in Nigeria are usually coordinated by faith-based organizations, and social clubs. While some have been consistent, a lot of goodwill in food donation is shown at various times of the year by individuals or groups, especially at festive periods. These programmes urgently need the support of a structured, coordinated and multichannel assistance platform, which engages all stakeholders (individuals, groups, and corporate citizenry) and supports the activities of such groups, ensuring availability of food through innovative partnerships, food drives and donations, training and outreaches that will ensure availability of food that meet all safety requirements, throughout the year.
Foodbank Nigeria is a non-profit, non-denominational organization that secures and distributes food donations to food programmes (called agencies) which feed the hungry. Foodbank Nigeria works as an aid clearing house, which coordinates and maximizes the distribution of donations through identified channels and food programmes. Working together with donors, supporters, partners, volunteers and staff, we are confronting hunger in Nigeria, and extending the budgets of agencies involved in feeding programmes. The impact of Foodbank programmes is estimated at stretching budgets of feeding programmes by up to 8 times of their original impact values.
Foodbank Nigeria initiative is part of the Global Food banking network, which is active in different capacities in at least 23 countries. Its mission is to effectively address identified food gaps in Nigeria through education, advocacy and empowerment strategies as part of new and existing feeding programmes. Foodbank Nigeria’s target capacity is to provide 5 million meals a day through at least 5,000 pre-assessed and registered nonprofit community food programmes (agencies) nationwide. We provide a viable and reputable platform for food assistance and support existing and new activities seeking to provide community-based support in this direction. We believe that, through activities of Foodbank Nigeria, the number of agencies (registered community food programmes) would expand considerably, helping us to achieve our daily meal target. The existence of a well-stocked and functional foodbank will also help to address emergency food needs associated with various types of disasters like the current flood situation in Kogi, Delta, Benue and Anambra states.
The organisation has adopted October as its Hunger Action Month, during which it has commenced a “close the food gap” campaign, that will introduce the public to its mission and call Nigerians to join the global movement through partnering, volunteering and donating to Foodbank Nigeria activities and programmes to address the food security issue in the country.
In a statement signed by its Project Manager, Paul Achem, Foodbank is convinced that Nigerians have what it takes to build a food assistance platform we can all be proud of. With good structure in place and the commitment of experienced foodbank administrators, employees, volunteers, and community members, the organisation can effectively close the food gap in Nigeria. The assurance is that all stakeholders can make a difference in the lives of the teeming hungry population of this country without their products and their identity being compromised.
For more information, visit www.foodbankng.com or mail info@foodbankng.com
