The Ewatomilola Cares Initiative on Tuesday brought festive relief to widows, widowers and other less privileged residents of Iwodi community in Ikole Ekiti, Ekiti State, as part of its annual Christmas outreach.
The outreach, held at Fagbayide quarters, was initially planned to cater for 200 beneficiaries but recorded a larger turnout, with more than 500 residents receiving support from the initiative.
The event drew a large crowd of community members who turned out to welcome the team led by the founder of the initiative, Ewatomilola Emiola-Owoeye, who is also the Senior Special Assistant to the Ondo State Governor on Research and Documentation.
Beneficiaries were given various food items, including bags of rice, oloyin beans, spaghetti, semovita, garri, seasoning cubes, groundnut oil, toiletries and salt, while many also received ankara fabrics to enhance their Christmas celebrations.
Speaking at the event, Emiola-Owoeye expressed gratitude to God for the opportunity to impact lives, describing the outreach as an annual gesture aimed at supporting vulnerable members of society, especially during the festive season.
She urged the beneficiaries to celebrate Christmas peacefully and responsibly, noting that the initiative was driven by a desire to put smiles on the faces of those who often struggle to meet basic needs.
The beneficiaries, in turn, expressed appreciation for the gesture, offering prayers for Emiola-Owoeye and the sustainability of the initiative, which they described as timely and impactful.