Mary’s Meals is not just a charity, it’s a worldwide movement inspired by a simple but powerful vision: that every child should receive a daily meal in their place of education. This fundamental idea drives all the work carried out by Mary’s Meals and fuels a mission that brings hope to young lives by addressing the interconnected challenges of hunger and lack of access to schooling.
Mary’s Meals establishes school feeding programs in communities where extreme poverty often forces children to work or search for food instead of attending school. The effect of these programs is both immediate and transformative. Children who once faced daily hunger now receive a nutritious meal at school, which not only encourages them into the classroom but also improves concentration and supports their long-term educational journey.
What sets Mary’s Meals apart is its deep-rooted, community-led approach. By mobilizing thousands of local volunteers and sourcing food from local suppliers, the organization strengthens local economies and fosters a sense of ownership within the communities it serves crucial elements for ensuring the long-term sustainability of the program.
Remarkably, this life-changing program is delivered at an incredibly low cost. Just 22 euros is enough to feed a child for an entire school year.
From 200 to 2.6 Million children
From its humble beginnings in 2003, when it began providing meals to around 200 children in two Malawian schools, Mary’s Meals has grown into a truly global organization. Today, it serves more than 2.6 million children across 16 countries every school day. This remarkable growth has been marked by significant milestones. In 2015, the organization reached its first major achievement of feeding one million children in school daily, a moment commemorated by the release of founder Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow’s book The Shed That Fed A Million Children. By 2021, the number had doubled to two million children. The year 2024 brought further expansion, with a move into Mozambique and support to triple the number of children receiving Mary’s Meals in Ethiopia. Before 2024, Mary’s Meals was serving around 30,000 school children in Tigray. Today, they are reaching more than 120,000, made possible through an Emergency Appeal to support children in the region following the conflict. That same year, a partnership with Clarins was announced, pledging three million school meals annually, while national Mary’s Meals fundraising branches in Croatia, the USA, and Slovakia celebrated important anniversaries.
Yet even with these accomplishments, Mary’s Meals continues to look ahead. The organization remains focused on two core goals: maintaining its current commitments to the children it already serves and expanding to reach the many more who are still waiting. Despite feeding millions every school day, the team is acutely aware that countless children remain in desperate need: their classrooms empty and their futures uncertain.
Operating in some of the most unstable and remote regions of the world brings considerable challenges. Navigating conflict, food insecurity, and hard-to-reach and remote schools are just some of the logistical and security hurdles Mary’s Meals faces. Inflation and rising food prices further complicate operations. Nevertheless, Mary’s Meals relies on the strength and experience of local teams and partners who ensure food is delivered reliably, even in the harshest environments.
International Giving
International support plays a critical role in sustaining and expanding this work. As a beneficiary of the Transnational Giving Europe (TGE) network, Mary’s Meals enables donors in France or in countries where the organization does not have offices to donate in a tax-effective way. This network has opened up valuable new opportunities. Being associated with trusted partners like Fondation de France and Charities Aid Foundation not only enhances donor confidence but also strengthens the international infrastructure required to support Mary’s Meals’ growing mission.
At its heart, Mary’s Meals is a movement built on generosity and compassion. Supporters range from schoolchildren collecting coins to athletes running marathons, all contributing what they can to ensure children can rely on receiving a meal in school. Their collective efforts, what the founder calls ‘a multitude of little acts of love’, make it possible to keep the organization’s promise to millions of children. Storytelling plays a vital role in engaging those who help. Whether through emotionally resonant films or firsthand testimonies from people involved in running the school feeding program or the children it serves, Mary’s Meals connects supporters with the real lives their donations are helping to change. The Shed That Fed 2 Million Children, the updated edition of Mary’s Meals founder’s first book which provides great insight into his journey into charitable work and celebrates the origins of the organization and its impact, is available in French and free to purchase here with only delivery fees.
Simple yet effective
Mary’s Meals stands out for its simplicity and effectiveness. In a world where a child dies from malnutrition every ten seconds and 71 million primary school-aged children remain out of school, this organization offers a tangible solution. A daily meal served in school not only provides nourishment but also a pathway to a better future. The low-cost, high-impact model ensures that every donation, no matter the size, can make a meaningful difference.
Whether through donating, volunteering, or fundraising, there are many ways for people to support Mary’s Meals. In doing so, they join a growing global movement determined to fulfill the vision of a world where no child is too hungry to learn.
Mary’s Meals extends its heartfelt gratitude to all supporters and partners, including those connected through the TGE network. Together, they are helping to create a world where education and nourishment go hand in hand, and where hope is served one school meal at a time.