Mary's Meals

30/07/26 – 30^th Mary’s Meals Sharron Cawthorne

Firstly, Derek gave us a few comments about Gordon Oldham’s funeral that he had attended with Adrian. Then Gerry S was finally presented with his PHF award by Bill, followed by Rob’s Saphire PHF award. The Sharron began explaining that she was a ‘community volunteer’ on behalf of Mary’s Meals, whose vision was to provide lifesaving school meals around the world. It was founded in 2002 by Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow, who had previously operated another charity called Scottish International Relief that he had set up to support the problem associated with the Bosnian war. The donations just kept coming to their HQ in this hut in Dalmally, Argyle, Scotland. Magnus visited Malawi meeting a widow called Emma, who had 6 children and AIDS. Her eldest son, Edward said “I would like to have enough to eat and go to school one day”. Hunger is the biggest problem in many countries, and 71 million children are not in primary school education.  So, Magnus and his brother Fergus set up Mary’s Meals, with the vision that “every child receives one good meal in their place of education”. Education is vital to breaking the cycle of poverty. Today they operate in 17 countries enabling the food given is culturally appropriate and whenever possible locally produced. By 2026 3 million children are benefiting every day from Mary’s Meals. Despite girls being disproportionally being affected, MM ensure 50% of their meals go to girls. Communities are at the heart of everything they do. By making use of locally produced food and engaging volunteers to prepare, cook and serve the food, it costs just £19.15 to feed a child for a whole school year. On average each meal costs just 10p. By involving the local community, a sense of pride is created which often leads to many other improvements from which everyone benefits. Examples were given, like Kidnan, mother of 3 in Ethiopia, Mohammed in Yemen, Angelina and May now working as nurses in S. Sudan.

MM is not a religious organisation, although Magnus named it after Mary, the mother of Jesus, but it’s a simple idea that works without any Government funding.

Questions followed about ‘backing off’, once improvements are made; corruption, holiday times, sources of funding, all of which Sharron fielded efficiently.

Ian did the Vote of Thanks confirming that it seems a simple concept of eating and education, tremendously successful and cost effective, being used at the ‘front line’. He asked the members to join him in a warm round of applause. A cheque for £500 was presented to Sharron by Club President David John.              AR