Support Mary's Meals
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Children enjoying their porridge from Mary's Meals
We have a word that we use in our household - "voluntold" - a play on the grey area between 'to volunteer' and 'being told' to do something, and one which makes the teenage contingency try to disappear as quickly as possible when it is invoked, especially if it involves a dishwasher or a hoover!
However, when it comes to Mary's Meals, I must admit that I am blessed with a family of colleagues, supporters and volunteers who will never shy away from giving their all to volunteer and fundraise for this beautiful mission. That 'family' has grown very quickly to include wider family members, friends, people from my local church community and even friends of friends!
As a volunteer-centred organisation, Mary's Meals could not exist without the incredible support, dedication and generosity of time that volunteers across the world give to make a difference to more than 2.4 million hungry children.
With Christmas fast approaching it is often so easy to get caught up in the shopping and tinsel and become increasingly stressed about how we are going to fit everything in before the 'big day.' We tire ourselves out over finding the right gift or writing endless Christmas cards and feel like we do not have time to do anything! Yet we can all be guilty of forgetting that we are journeying towards the greatest gift - the birth of a child who would change the world.
In all the chaos and noise is it now time to stop, breathe and listen to what God is saying to us through the shepherds who, despite being the lowest of people in society, were the first to see the newborn child?
When the angels left them and went back to heaven,
the shepherds said to one another,
"Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place,
that the Lord has made known to us."
So they hurried off and located Mary and Joseph,
and found the baby lying in a manger. (Luke 2:15)
There was no doubt, no delay, nor any distraction. They hurried off. They trusted what the angels had said to them, responded to the invitation and they came back with a gift - the gift of joy!
Many of the volunteers I have had the privilege of working with talk about how much they receive from giving their time, energy and skills to raise awareness and much needed funds, often feeling that they get back more than they give. Yet their generosity of spirit is ensuring that more than 2.4 million children continue to receive a nutritious daily meal in their place of education. They are an example to us all of the selflessness that ensures we continue to strive to reach the next child who is waiting for Mary's Meals.
Some of these volunteers across the world are former Mary's Meals learners, children who received food at school and an education thanks to the school feeding programmes supported by Mary's Meals. People who can now give back and help to lift their own communities out of poverty. People like Chimba Daniel, a volunteer teacher from Zambia.
Since graduating from school, Chimba's passion and commitment to education have only grown stronger.
Now, with an exam record full of distinctions, Chimba has returned to Taonga Primary School to volunteer as a mathematics tutor. But his story is far from over. He has recently applied to study medicine and surgery at university.
Zambia is currently ranked 154 out of 191 countries and territories in the Human Development Index.
Around 61% of the population lives below the international poverty line of $2.15 USD a day. For many children, Mary's Meals is the only meal they will eat in a day.Perhaps, as we continue that search for the perfect turkey and trimmings this year, we can take a momentto reflect on whether we could give some of that energy and time to volunteering. Perhaps like the shepherds, we too will come back rejoicing, knowing we have contributed to something greater than ourselves. Perhaps that might be the greatest gift we could give.
There are so many ways you can support Mary's Meals this Christmas. We're always on the lookout for more people to join our amazing network of volunteers across the UK. All of our volunteers receive training, and you'll have the chance to meet with other kind-hearted people, all of whom want to help us reach the next hungry child.
Visit: www.marysmeals.org.uk/get-involved/volunteer to find out more or phone 0800 698 1212.
For a limited time only, all donations made to Mary's Meals will be doubled by a group of generous supporters, up to £1.1 million. Visit: www.marysmeals.org.uk/double to find out more.
Mary's Meals feeds more than 2.4 million hungry children every day. The promise of a nutritious meal at school attracts these children into the classroom, where they can gain an education and hope of a brighter future.
The charity's low-cost approach means that it costs just £19.15 to feed a child with Mary's Meals every day for a school year. This is only possible because of many dedicated volunteers across the globe - from people in the UK who raise awareness, to those overseas who rise early to cook nutritious meals for their children.
Mary's Meals sets up school feeding programmes which are owned and run by community volunteers. Locally produced food is served wherever possible. This supports the community and its farmers, as well as the wider economy.
Mary's Meals works in 17 of the world's poorest countries: Benin, Ecuador, Ethiopia, Haiti, India, Kenya, Lebanon, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Niger, South Sudan, Syria, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Yemen.
The Mary's Meals story began in 2002 when founder Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow visited Malawi during a famine and met a mother, Emma, dying from AIDS. When Magnus asked her eldest son, Edward, what his dreams were in life, he replied simply: "I want to have enough food to eat and to go to school one day."
Please visit: www.marysmeals.org.uk to find out more about the work of Mary's Meals.