Mary's Meals appeals for Edinburgh parents to 'check pockets' for holiday money
“The food at school is delicious, but at home, we never have anything that tastes this good”
Parents across Edinburgh are being urged to check their pockets, purses and wallets for any left over holiday money which could help provide meals for hungry children around the world.
As pupils prepare to return to school following the summer holidays, schools in the Capital are being encouraged to launch foreign currency collections in a bid to turn unwanted coins and notes into life changing meals. The appeal comes from Scottish charity Mary’s Meals, which is asking families to send any leftover foreign change into school with their children.
The smallest donation could make all the difference, with the charity saying it costs just 10p to provide a nutritious meal to a child in a place of education. Meanwhile, £19.15 is enough to provide a child with meals every school day for a whole academic year which is a staggering difference for not very much.
Mary’s Meals currently provides food to more than three million children everyday across sixteen of the worlds poorest countries. The charity’s school feeding programmes aim to do more than simply provide children with food, as the promise of a nutritious meal can encourage youngsters into a classroom, where they can then receive an education and work towards a brighter future.
The impact of the scheme has already been demonstrated at St Richards Catholic College in East Sussex, which has collected foreign currency for the charity since 2024.
The school has already raised £733 which is enough to feed thirty-eight hungry children for a full school year.
Lidia Mead, Subject Leader for RE at St Richard’s said: "I am always blown away by the amount we collect through foreign currency collections.
“We all have some leftover money from our holidays, and what better way to get rid of it than to help feed children - an amazing, simple idea.”
Mrs Mead said the collections also help pupils understand the impact of their fundraising, with students able to see how their unwanted currency can be turned into meals.
She added: “They do a huge amount of charity work through the likes of cake sales and raffles, but this way of fundraising is different.
“Pupils know the money is turned into meals for children, which helps them realise the great work they are doing.
“Being able to feed a child for under £20 a year really puts things into perspective for them too.”
Mary’s Meals was founded in a shed in the Scottish Islands in 2002 and now provides school meals to more than three million children everyday across sixteen of the worlds poorest countries. This includes Zimbabwe, Kenya, Malawi, Madagascar, Ethiopia and Zambia to name a few.
One child benefiting from the charity’s work is seven-year old Sitraka, a pupil at Sahafy Primary School in Madagascar.
His family faces hunger and the meal he receives at school is sometimes the only food he eats all day.
Sitraka said: “The food at school is delicious, but at home, we never have anything that tastes this good.”
Having reliable access to food has improved Sitraka’s school attendance and academic performance, helping provide a potential route out of poverty for him and his family.
Gerrard McMahon, Regional Development Officer at Mary’s Meals, is encouraging Edinburgh schools to get involved.
He said: “We’d love for your school to set up its own foreign currency collection! We’ll provide everything you need, including envelopes, a collection box and clear instructions.
“We accept coins and notes from any country, as well as old UK currency no longer in circulation.
“If you have old coins and notes sitting in drawers and wallets, don’t let them go to waste.
“Too often, hunger holds a child back from the future they deserve, keeping them out of school and communities stuck in a cycle of poverty… year after year.
“With the promise of a daily school meal, we can overcome this barrier and allow a child to unleash their full potential."