Mary’s Meals aims to sign up more regular givers with match funding incentive

28 Jul 2021 News

Mark Beaumont supporting Mary’s Meals triple giving campaign.

Chris Watt

Mary’s Meals has launched a campaign to recruit more regular givers with a match funding pot of up to £100,000.

The charity provides a daily meal in an education setting in 19 countries such as Malawi, Liberia, and Zambia. Anyone who sets up a new monthly direct debit before 31 August will have their first three donations tripled.

The Bishop Radford Trust, and others, have made up to £100,000 for the campaign and there are no upper or lower limits on gift amounts.

New regular gifts can be made at any time during the period and will be tripled for the first three donations, even if the timing of any of the actual donations comes later in the year.

If existing regular donors increase their donation before the campaign ends any increase made to the value of an existing direct debit, standing order or recurring card payment, will also be tripled. 

'The promise of a recurring donation gives us the confidence to plan future expansions'

The average global cost to feed a child with Mary’s Meals for a whole school year is £15.90. Mary's Meals said receiving more recurring donations will allow it to plan future activity.

Gillian McMahon, director of supporter engagement at Mary’s Meals, said: “The promise of a recurring donation, whatever size, gives us the confidence to plan future expansions and will give more hungry children the gifts of food, joy and hope. This funding boost will help Mary’s Meals move closer to the incredible milestone of feeding two million children worldwide.”

In the financial year to 31 December 2020, Mary's Meals had a total income of £16.5m. A match-funding appeal that it ran in 2020 resulted in over 7,000 donations and 400 new regular givers.  

Cyclist Mark Beaumont, who holds a world record for cycling 18,000 miles around the globe in less than 79 days, is backing the campaign.

He said: “This is a unique opportunity for regular donations from new and existing Mary’s Meals’ supporters to go the extra mile. It’s the perfect time to join Mary’s Meals as a regular giver, as each penny will go three times further for children in the world’s poorest communities.

“At the schools in the countries where Mary’s Meals works, like Malawi, Haiti and Ethiopia, each meal costs an average of 8p, so this summer’s funding boost will change the lives of many hungry children.

“I’m delighted to support this initiative, as it makes a little giving from individuals go a long way towards creating a brighter future for children in the world’s poorest countries, ensuring they have a daily nutritious meal at school and the chance to learn and flourish.”

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