In the spirit of love and yuletide celebration, Mr Collins Ezenwa Ilo, the founder of a Non-Governmental Organization ( NGO) Collins Rich Foundation ,CRF on Saturday donated over 500 bags of rice , garri ,toiletries and other food items to widows and motherless homes for Christmas celebration.
Collins Rich Foundation made the donations at the Red Cross Motherless home and other less privileged homes in Owerri capital of Imo State to alleviate their plight in.
Presenting the gifts, Ezenwa Ilo, who seized the platform to celebrate his birthday, called on governments and philanthropic organizations to make life more meaningful to the orphaned, widows and aged members of the society.
Ezenwa who also seized the platform to pay the hospital bills of over 50 indigent patients detained in different medical facilities in the state said these classes of people, who formed a sizeable proportion of the population of the society, must be adequately taken care of to reduce poverty in the society.
“Nothing will make any meaning to a hungry and sick person and we are doing this to make the yuletide a memorable one for every families. Nothing gives me more joy than giving to the poor and making life more meaningful to the less privileged members of the society,” he said.
He said even though giving is the most difficult thing to do my Foundation has been giving the less privileged, especially the widows and the orphans food items, especially during Christmas and this year, we decided to expand the programme a little by settling hospital bills of indigent patients in the state.
Mr Ezenwa who assisted the patients at the Federal Medical Centre, FMC Owerri and Mgbidi Health Centre who were indebted to the hospitals and could not foot their hospital bills due to lack of funds said this year, 500 people, made up of 350 widows and 100 aged, went home with one bag of rice and one bag of garri, to enable them celebrate the yuletide with members of their families,” she explained.
He said the gesture was part of the NGO’s corporate social responsibility to cater for the needs of the society. He said the organization had been assisting orphans and widows in the society.
Some of the beneficiaries thanked the organization for identifying with the indigent widows, and called on corporate organizations and wealthy individuals to emulate the gesture of the NGO.
Among the food items donated to the beneficiaries were, bags of rice, cartons of noodles, cartoons of seasoning cubes, beverages, drinks and spaghetti among others.
The Assistant Chief Nursing Officer, Federal Medical Centre, Mrs. Ohamaeyi Laurence, who spoke on behalf the health facility thanked Mr Collins Ezenwa for his gesture of settling the bills of indigent patients.
She said that some of the beneficiaries owed the hospital for quite a while because of their inability to pay their bills after treatment.
One of the beneficiaries, Uhiara Ogechi, thanked the founder of Collins Rich Foundation for the gesture, praying God to reward him.
