Seven year-old Glaswegian from Barrhead takes on sponsored walk to raise £800 for Mary’s Meals

A seven-year-old boy from Barrhead has raised over £800 for Mary’s Meals by walking 10k to help feed hungry children.

Michael Williams, a St Mark’s Primary School pupil, was inspired to take on the walk after a talk about the charity at his local church; St John’s in Barrhead. Young Michael told his mum, Jennifer, that he felt really sorry for the children who rely on Mary’s Meals, and he wanted to do something to help.

Michael and his parents took on the sponsored walk after school on Tuesday November 1. The trio successfully completed a 10k around the local area in two hours and 45 minutes.

It costs Mary’s Meals just £15.90 to feed a child for a school year - with this in mind, Michael set out to raise enough money to feed two children for a year. The young boy smashed his target – raising an incredible £370.

With Gift Aid, and an additional £370 thanks to Mary’s Meals’ match-funding campaign, Double The Love, the kind-hearted seven-year-old raised a total of £800 for the charity – enough to feed 50 children for a school year.

Michael says: “I really wanted to help the children get some school meals. I felt so proud that so many people helped me raise lots of money. It was exciting watching the donations get higher and knowing that I was helping even more children.”

Mary’s Meals serves nutritious school meals in some of the world’s poorest countries, including Kenya, Haiti and Yemen. The promise of food brings hungry children into the classroom - where they can gain an education and hope for the future.

Gemma Love, supporter engagement officer at Mary’s Meals, says: “We’re so grateful to Michael for raising such an amazing amount of money for some of the world’s hungriest children. His hard work will help change the lives of 50 fellow little ones with a nutritious meal every school day.

“It’s thanks to the hard work of kind-hearted supporters big and small that we can reach so many children with Mary’s Meals. We hope Michael’s incredible achievement will inspire even more people to start their own fundraiser for Mary’s Meals this winter.”

Donations made to Mary’s Meals before January 31 2023 will be matched by a group of generous supporters, up to £1.5 million, with the charity’s Double The Love campaign.

For more information, visit marysmeals.org.uk.