Game Of Thrones star Maisie Williams has shared how cooking as a child really built up her confidence. The 26-year-old, who is from the Mendips, made the admission while urging fans to donate to a crowdfunder for a Bristol-based charity helping to support young people facing food poverty.
The actress said she had been inspired by the “amazing work” of The Mazi Project since attending a recent fundraiser with her friend. The charity helps empower disadvantaged young people “through food ”, providing weekly meal and recipe kits and fresh produce, among other things.
In an Instagram live video, later posted to her page, Williams spoke to the founder of the charity , Melanie Vaxevanakis, and one of its users. She said that as her career had taken off she had been introduced to new types of food , from industry dinners to meals in the homes of those from different socio-economic backgrounds.
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“I was learning about all these ingredients and all of these techniques and it really just grew my confidence socially,” she said.
“And when I heard you speaking about The Mazi Project for the first time I could really see how things that you were speaking about I could sort of pinpoint in my life.”
She continued: “I really see how food as a fundamental part of life can bring so much good beyond just knowing where your food is coming from.
“It kind of builds your confidence as a person and, you know, (by) surprising yourself by cooking and treating yourself to these amazing meals.
“Then you sort of start to question what other things am I capable of, and can I reach further and further beyond the limits that I see on myself?
“And I think that that’s kind of really at the core of Mazi – it’s helping people to eat but it also kind of empowers people beyond that.”
The Mazi Project has a fundraiser target of £30,000 to buy a van, with £9,000 already pledged by supporters. Currently, organisers are relying on volunteers as well as founder, Melanie, to use their cars to deliver the food kits to those in need. But with the level of demand having gone up, they can’t keep up with the number of parcels needing to be delivered, especially as the number they support has doubled from 80 to 160 young people.
Williams ’ Game Of Thrones co stars Lena Headey and Kit Harington are among the high-profile figures who have already donated.
