What a gift!  This month of September, Rooted for Good has decided to extend our support for one more month to Mary’s Meals!  Surprise!  10% of ALL our sales - that means anything you buy - will go to helping Mary’s Meals provide children in need with both food and education. It’s amazing to think about how many meals your purchase this month will provide! This month’s blog will answer the big question we’re sure you all have. 

How do they do it?

Let’s go behind the scenes and uncover how Mary’s Meals is able to provide a daily meal for just 13 cents a kid!

Low Cost But High Quality

Mary’s Meals often refers to themselves as a low-cost charity. Low cost certainly doesn’t mean low quality and across their school feeding operation, they work hard to ensure they can source good quality produce for good value for money – and locally wherever possible.

Embedded in their core organizational values is a commitment to the good stewardship of all funds entrusted to them and a belief in the innate goodness of people. These are two of the pillars that underpin their everyday work.  To honor them both, they strive to keep administration and fundraising costs low.

The Nitty Gritty - How They Keep The Cost Down

Every decision made by Mary’s Meals is informed by the understanding that generous donors entrust them with their resources.  They regularly assess the effectiveness and appropriateness of their work to ensure donations are being spent where the need is greatest. Here are some of the considered and effective steps Mary’s Meals takes as an organization to keep their running costs to a minimum while allowing them to reach more than 2.4 million children across 18 countries with a nutritious meal every school day. 

The average cost to provide a child with a meal in their place of education for an entire school year is higher than it used to be due to inflation and food chain supply issues.  Yet, Mary’s Meals is able to provide a child with food for a year for just $25.20.

The Secret Sauce - Volunteers

Another main reason takes us back to the innate goodness of people.  Mary’s Meals has always been an organization that relies on the generosity of volunteers, as we mentioned briefly last month.

In the countries where their meals are served to children while they learn, local volunteers – many of whom are mothers, fathers, grandparents or neighbors of children who receive the meals – take ownership of the everyday running of the school feeding program.

They leave their homes early (some walking miles to the nearest school or education center) to prepare, cook and serve the meals for the children. In Africa alone, there are tens of thousands of volunteer cooks sharing their time and skills to bring hope to some of the most vulnerable children living in their local communities and without their unwavering support and dedication, this life-changing work simply wouldn’t be feasible.

The global movement is always growing, with new people being inspired to join the Mary’s Meals family and looking to play their part. An intrinsic part of their mission is to involve as many people as possible, recognizing that each of us has a unique part to play in this work. 

Their fundraisers and volunteers continually amaze with their energy and creativity.

Some put their endurance to the test and complete sporting challenges to raise funds, while others attend events and hand out Mary’s Meals flyers or set up volunteer groups where they live to get their friends, family and wider communities involved. Mary’s Meals even has talented writers who donate proceeds from their book sales to further their work. Other volunteers offer professional skills that bolster organization in a variety of ways.

Across North America and Europe, there are volunteers who help with social media, communications, finance, IT, and much more.  The time they offer allows Mary’s Meals to grow as an organization while maximizing the good they can do with the donations received. No matter what time they have to spare or what skills they have to share, the passion and commitment of all the volunteers across the movement is priceless.

The Benefit of Social Media - How You Can Help

The growth of social media has given Mary’s Meals many opportunities to share their story far and wide without big costs. 

Of course, it’s not just the movement’s story that they share but the stories of the children served, the communities who work in partnership, and the volunteers who are instrumental in delivering the program. These stories recount the enormous challenges communities often face but they also highlight the daily community spirit - one that triumphs over adversity and ensures that children can receive a meal every school day.

Through your purchases this month at Rooted for Good, you can come alongside their team of passionate, talented people and unite yourselves with their deep vocational attitude.  We’ve said time and time again that when you shop at Rooted for Good, you shop your values.  

Our Good for Others campaign is at the heart of why we do what we do.  We sell all natural skincare products to help others - PERIOD!  Thank you for helping us in our mission, through your purchases and donations this month.  Mary’s Meals and all of us at Rooted for Good thank you!

Growing and learning together,

Anna Ketterling