For families in Uromi, Edo State, grappling with the rising cost of feeding their households, relief arrived this week in the form of food packs distributed to over 2,500 beneficiaries across eight communities.
The intervention, organised by Fidelity Bank Plc under its Fidelity Food Bank initiative, was held at the Uromi Town Hall in Esan Central Local Government Area.
Beneficiaries who received the packages described the gesture as timely, with many saying it would ease the pressure of feeding their families amid mounting economic strain. Their appreciation extended not just to Fidelity Bank but to the partners who helped coordinate the distribution.
The Edo State Government welcomed the intervention, with Governor Monday Okpebholo, represented by the Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Security, Jerry Uwangue, commending the bank for extending the programme to Uromi residents.
Uwangue said the gesture illustrated the role corporate organisations can play in supporting communities at a time when household needs are outpacing available resources.
“At a time like this, when family needs come first, this act of kindness demonstrates that corporate organisations have a vital role to play in the wellbeing of our communities,” Uwangue said, thanking Fidelity Bank on behalf of the governor and residents of Uromi. He urged other corporations to replicate the initiative in their own host communities.
Speaking at the event, Fidelity Bank’s Divisional Head, Brand and Communications, Dr. Meksley Nwagboh, said the distribution was part of the bank’s broader commitment to improving lives through its Corporate Social Responsibility programmes.
He explained that the Uromi intervention was designed to reach families across eight communities affected by food insecurity, and tied the effort to Sustainable Development Goal 2, which targets an end to hunger and improved nutrition worldwide.
Nwagboh also revealed the scale of the wider programme: Fidelity Bank distributes 10,000 food packs monthly through the Food Bank initiative, working with 19 partner organisations to reach underserved communities nationwide.
Launched in April 2023, the Fidelity Food Bank has become one of the bank’s flagship CSR programmes, with more than 300,000 food packs distributed to date across all six of Nigeria’s geopolitical zones, a reach that continues to grow as interventions like the one in Uromi extend the programme to new communities.
