Tuesday October 7th 2025
Children in Zambia enjoying a mug of porridge from Mary's Meals
Written by Midlothian View Reporter, Liam Eunson
School children in Scotland can be heroes for hungry children in some of the world’s poorest communities by donating their pocket money for porridge.
Mary’s Meals’ Pocket Money for Porridge campaign, run in partnership with Inner Wheel, is calling on teachers to set up a collection where pupils can each donate 10p to the charity. The charity’s low-cost approach means they can serve a school meal to a hungry child for just 10p.
Mary’s Meals feeds three million children with a nutritious meal every school day in 16 countries. The promise of a daily meal encourages children from the world’s poorest communities into the classroom where they will gain an education that could be their ladder out of poverty.
In some of the countries where Mary’s Meals works – Malawi, Zambia, and Zimbabwe – the school meal served is a vitamin-enriched porridge, which helps children to learn and grow. Schools are being encouraged to run a Pocket Money for Porridge collection in conjunction with World Porridge Day on 10 October.
The initiative is being backed by social media sensation and bestselling cookbook author Coinneach MacLeod, the Hebridean Baker. Coinneach, cookbook author, TV star and a judge in this year’s Golden Spurtle World Porridge Making Championship, says: “It’s incredible that something as humble as my favourite breakfast – porridge oats, can do so much good. Filling a hungry child’s tummy and opening the door to learning, that’s the wonderful work of Mary’s Meals.
“I’d love for kids in classrooms in Scotland to support Mary’s Meals this World Porridge Day and throughout October by bringing 10p to class, which can stop a child going hungry.”
For Ivy, a pupil at Nansato Primary School in Malawi, her daily cup of porridge makes a real difference to her performance in school.
She says: “Porridge gives me enough energy to learn better. After eating porridge, I actively take part in class and the porridge keeps me healthy. If there was no porridge at school, it could have been difficult for me to understand what the teachers teach due to hunger.”
Sally Davidson, Supporter Engagement Officer at Mary’s Meals, says: “Just 10p can change the world! We can serve a school meal to a hungry child for that tiny amount, and we want pupils here to help this October. World Porridge Day is coming up on October 10 and there’s never been a better time to make the power of porridge go even further!”
Teachers can download a Pocket Money for Porridge fundraising pack, packed full of ways their class can get involved, from https://www.marysmeals.org.uk/campaigns/pocket-money-for-porridge
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