Renfrewshire People’s Postcode Lottery players help raise £7m

More than £7m has been raised for international school feeding charity Mary’s Meals, thanks to the continued support of People’s Postcode Lottery players including those in Renfrewshire.

The funding has helped Mary’s Meals reach 478,968 children in 16 countries, providing daily meals that encourage children to attend school and focus on their education.

Laura Chow, head of charities at People’s Postcode Lottery, said: "It's fantastic to know that for a decade our players have supported the essential work of Mary’s Meals – and have now raised an incredible £7m to help children across the globe access nutritious meals.

"This funding helps children in some of the most underserved communities go to school well fed, ready to learn and full of hope for a brighter future."

The charity’s programme is designed to attract children to the classroom by addressing hunger, making education more accessible and helping to break the cycle of poverty.

Funding from lottery players has supported Mary’s Meals operations in countries including Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Zambia, Madagascar, Ethiopia and South Sudan.

In recent years, the funding has been provided on an unrestricted basis, allowing the charity to allocate resources where they are most urgently needed.

The programme not only tackles hunger but also addresses wider issues such as educational barriers and gender inequality.

Half of the children receiving Mary’s Meals are girls, though 119 million girls remain out of school worldwide.

For many children like 12-year-old Efigénia, who attends Tindzawene Primary School in Mozambique, the promise of a daily meal offers "a source of hope".

Efigénia said: "With school meals, I feel good because even with a lack of food at home, here at school I have a meal and I can study."

Mary’s Meals is a "source of hope" for 12-year-old Efigénia in Mozambique (Image: Mary's Meals)

At the end of last year, Mary’s Meals surpassed 3 million children fed daily, following programme expansions in early 2025 that reached an additional 462,000 children across eight countries.

Gemma Love, philanthropy and institutional partnerships manager at Mary’s Meals, said: "We are incredibly grateful to People’s Postcode Lottery players in Renfrewshire, whose ongoing support is helping us reach more children than ever before with a daily school meal that encourages learning, brings hope and changes lives.

"Seeing the difference this support makes for children and communities inspires us to keep going and to reach even more children in the years ahead."

To find out more about the work of Mary’s Meals and ways to get involved, visit marysmeals.org.uk.