A SCOTTISH family have raised more than £35,000 over the past decade to help feed children across the globe.
The Young family have worked with Mary’s Meals to provide food to school students in some of the most deprived countries in the world.
The charity feeds more than 2.6 million children every school day and aims to give children the energy to learn.
Three generations of the Young family from Midlothian have raised money over the years by knitting scarves, which, if stacked, would be taller than the Eiffel Tower.
Now, in the run-up to Easter, they will be knitting chocolate egg covers to raise more money for Mary’s Meals.
This ongoing project has seen the family create more than 410 scarves, 35 baby blankets and 6500 "hats" for chocolates.
Discovering the charity while watching television, Colin Young, 67, recalled: “We were inspired by the transformative power of providing food in schools and how a simple act can lead to a better life for children.”
Hoping to raise £3000 through Easter and Christmas projects, the whole family has chipped in to help.
Lucy has been involved since she was eight and now at 16, creates crotched animals to sell, raising more than £1000.
Colin’s daughter, Laura, 41, has also created paper-based crafts, raising £1200 for Mary’s Meals.
The Young family began to raise money when Jackie Young, 64, was offered payment for a scarf knitted as a Christmas present. Instead, she decided to donate the money to Mary’s Meals.
Mary’s Meals was founded from a shed in the Highlands in 2002 after its founder, Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow, visited Malawi during a famine. When asking a child about their dreams, they replied: “I want to have enough food to eat and to go to school one day.”
The charity aims to encourage children to stay in school and gain an education. Mary’s
Through using local produce in school meals, the charity also supports farmers and the wider economy.
Through Mary’s Meals, it costs just £19.15 to feed a child for a year.
Sally Davidson, supporter engagement officer for East Scotland at Mary’s Meals, said that Colin and Jackie’s dedication is “truly inspiring”.
She added: “Every stitch they knit helps provide nutritious meals for children who might otherwise go hungry.”
“We are incredibly grateful for their support and for the way they’ve brought their whole community together to help Mary’s Meals feed the next child waiting for a nutritious daily meal in a place of education.”
Visit the Mary’s Meals website at www.marysmeals.org.uk for more ideas on how to help feed hungry children and find out how Mary’s Meals is providing More Than A Meal for some of the world’s poorest communities.
