Ealing Abbey Parish Lenten Project
Supporting:
Mary’s Meals
Matthew 25:35 “I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me.”
Our Parish Lenten Project for 2026 is supporting the amazing work that Mary’s Meals does to make sure that children in the poorest communities around the world are fed and receive a proper meal in school.
Mary’s Meals serve countries such as Asia, Latin America, Carribbean and Africa. Their incredible work means that they are able to serve over 3 million children across 16 different countries at school every day.
Mary’s Meals impact the wider community by reducing children’s hunger which allows children to concentrate in school and gain an education.
Bring Hope on the Journey to Easter:
Could you help make a difference this Lenten season, by supporting the incredible work of Mary’s Meals?
Make a donation of any amount
Just £19.15 feeds one child at school for an entire year
£50 will feed 2 children for an entire year
£100 will feed 5 children for an entire year.
Any donation amount will help feed a child at school.
Brendan Metcalf, CEO of Friends of The Holy Land, will be speaking at the following Masses:
Saturday 9th March at 6pm Mass
&
Sunday 10th March at 9am, 10:30am, 12noon, and 7pm Masses
Background Information about Mary’s Meals:
How it began:
Mary’s Meals founder, Magnus MacFarlane- Barrow, went on a pilgrimage with his family to Medjugorje. This pilgrimage renewed his family’s Catholic faith, which led his parents to convert their guest house to what we now know as Craig’s Lodge Family House of Prayer, Retreat Centre in Scotland.
Magnus began his career as a fish farmer in Scotland and witnessed the Balkan conflict on tv in 1992
Mangus and his brother left their jobs for one week and helped to distribute goods in Medjugorje. When they returned, donations kept coming and it resulted in Magnus driving to Medjugorje a total of 23 times to distribute donations. After this, Magnus never went back to his job, but set up a charity called Scottish International Relief.
In 2002, Magnus went to Malawi and had an interaction with a 14 year old boy, who said that all he wants is to have enough food to eat and be able to go to school.
This is what instigated the idea for Mary’s Meals. In 2003 alone, the charity was able to feed around 300 children in Malawai.
Today, the charity feeds around 3,011,060 children which shows the incredible work they are able to accomplish.
The impact of Mary’s Meals:
Mary’s Meals has meant that there are more children enrolling into school, attendance is higher as well as academic achievement.
How does Mary’s Meals operate?
The charity is able to provide one meal for one child for just 10p. There is a huge network of volunteers who help distribute the meals to children, which of course isn’t possible without them.
These volunteers in the poorer communities around the world rise early to prepare meals, which are sourced from local producers, where possible.
In the UK, volunteers help to grow the support network for the charity that enables them to carry out their amazing work.
You can find out more about Mary’s Meals Here