Blue bridge to mark milestone

Berwick’s biggest bridge was lit up in Mary’s Meals’ distinctive bright blue colour on two nights.

In its mission to bring food and hope to hungry children around the world, Mary’s Meals earlier this month reached the milestone of feeding two million young learners every school day.

The grand undertaking began in 2002, with the feeding of 200 children at a Malawian primary school. Now more than a third of the primary school population of Malawi enjoy their bowls of vitamin-enriched porridge, served by local volunteers.

Chronically poor youngsters also receive the meals in Liberia, Kenya, Zambia, Haiti, India, Syria, Lebanon, Ethiopia, Thailand, Myanmar, Uganda, South Sudan, Niger, Madagascar, Zimbabwe, Benin, Ecuador and Romania.

Despite the closure of many schools, the work was not stopped by Covid-19. Mary’s Meals continued to reach almost every child enrolled in its school feeding programmes through community distributions of food parcels and essential hygiene items.

This enabled parents or guardians to cook daily meals for the children at home, in their temporary place of education.

The average global cost to feed a child with Mary’s Meals for a whole school year is just £15.90. This is attributable in part to a vital commitment to spending at least 93 per cent of donations directly on charitable activities.

To find out more about the work of Mary’s Meals – or to order a copy of the updated book, The Shed That Fed 2 Million Children – go to www.marysmeals.org.uk