Ganug Nugroho Adi, Surakarta, Central Java – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo enjoyed the second day of the Idul Fitri holidays in his hometown of Surakarta by donating 4,000 staple food packages to needy residents.
The charity distribution event was held in the front yard of the president's family-owned meeting hall Graha Saba Buana.
Thousands of residents queued up for at least an hour just to make sure that they would get the packages. Groups of security officers maintained order during the event.
The staple food packages consisted of a five-kilogram pack of rice, a bottle of cooking oil, a kilogram of white sugar and a pack of tea bags.
Jokowi, who was also present at the scene, oversaw the distribution while chatting with the residents. The President asked the organizers to speed up the event when he saw cloudy skies gather above the city.
The division head of press, documentation and information with the State Secretariat, Erlin Suastini, said the actual number of needy residents recommended to the President by the local authorities was 3,000. (dic)