watchingthedaisies

Book Review – The Shed That Fed A Million Children

Marys Meals

A Very Special Book

“The Shed That Fed A Million Children” written by Magnus Macfarlane-Barrow, founder and CEO of the charity Mary’s Meals, was my 50th book review for my Goodread’s Reading Challenge of 2018.

It is a very special book that I have actually read twice!

My Review

“The Shed That Fed a Million Children” was once a garden shed that the author borrowed from his Dad back in 1992, to store donations after an appeal for aid for refugees in Bosnia-Herzegovina. The shed eventually became the office for the charity “Mary’s Meals” and although it is now complemented by a purpose built timber office, Magnus has chosen to work in the old shed.
In this memoir Magnus recounts how he and his siblings had travelled to Medugorje in 1983, after hearing of a group of visionaries who were seeing The Virgin Mary since 24 June 1981.
Soon after his parents made a similar pilgrimage, and as a result felt compelled to turn the family home and guest house into “a house of prayer.”
Magnus and his family continued to support those in need in other countries including Romania, Liberia…
In 2002, ” A spark that had ignited the already smouldering notion that became “Mary’s Meals” came from a young boy called Edward aged just 14. He was the oldest of six children sitting beside his mother who was dying of AIDs in Malawi. Edward told Magnus:
“I would like to have enough food to eat and I would like to be able to go to school one day.”
A photograph of Edward and his family hangs in the shed that is now headquarters to a charity that feeds more than a million children around the world. Each one of them is fed a hot meal in school.

Mary’s Meals

“Mary’s Meals works in 15 countries across Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean.”

As this post goes out 1,257,278 children are fed in school every school day!

“These life changing meals attract hungry children into the classroom. School feeding programmes are owned and run by community volunteers in the countries where Mary’s Meals provide food.

Whenever possible, we serve locally produced food. This supports the local community and its farmers as well as the wider economy.”

Emergency Relief

Mary’s Meals have been involved in emergency relief in the following countries:

  • Haiti,
  • Somalia,
  • Kenya and South Sudan.
  • Philippines,
  • India…

How Can You Help?

If you wish to buy Magnus’s book or help Mary’s Meals through donations, fundraising or volunteering, further information is available HERE

The link includes a video which will touch your heart.

Brigid P. Gallagher is a retired natural medicines therapist, passionate organic gardener and author of “Watching the Daisies- Life lessons on the Importance of Slow,” a holistic memoir dedicated to the art of mindfulness and healing from debilitating illness.

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