As pupils return to Isle of Wight classrooms after the summer break, Mary’s Meals is asking local schools to launch foreign currency collections.
The school feeding charity says leftover coins and notes from summer holidays can be turned into meals for hungry children abroad.
10p pays for one meal in a school kitchen overseas, and £19.15 covers a child’s meals for an entire school year, according to the charity.
Parents are being asked to check pockets, purses and wallets for forgotten holiday money and send it in with their children for the start of term.
Where the money goes
Mary’s Meals began in a shed in the Scottish Highlands in 2002 and now feeds more than 3 million children across 16 countries every school day, including Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Among them is seven-year-old Sitraka, a pupil at Sahafy Primary School in Madagascar, whose household faces hunger like many others in his community.
The introduction of daily school meals has changed life for Sitraka, whose meal at school is sometimes the only one he gets all day. He said,
“The food at school is delicious, but at home, we never have anything that tastes this good.”
The charity says reliable access to food has improved Sitraka’s attendance and his results at school.
How Island schools can take part
Schools can request a free foreign currency pack from the Mary’s Meals website and set up their own collection point.
Gerrard McMahon, regional development officer at Mary’s Meals, 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.”
Mr McMahon said old currency sitting unused at home could make a real difference abroad. He added,
“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.”
Details on how to request a collection pack are available on the Mary’s Meals website.
