SCHOOL’S ‘RECORD’ £120K FUNDRAISER FOR HUNGRY PUPILS
Almost 8,000 students will be fed for whole year
FUNDRAISING pupils and staff at an academy have helped to feed almost 8,000 children in Africa for a whole school year – after raising an impressive £120,000.
Cheadle’s Painsley Catholic Academy – which includes 15 schools across the county – raised the money to global school feeding charity Mary’s Meals as part of its 20:20 for Mary campaign launched in October 2019.
Pupils and staff undertook a massive range of events including cake sales, sponsored silences, sponsored head-shaves, sky dives, mountain climbs, bike rides, car washes and porridge breakfasts.
Now £120,000 has been handed to Mary’s Meals and will help to feed pupils at the Kafumphe Primary School in Dowa, Malawi.
It is the largest single donation by an academy to Mary’s Meals which feeds children in 19 countries.
Steve Bell, chief executive officer of the Painsley Catholic Academy, said: “It is a simple charity and that is what we like. It costs just £15.90 to feed a child with Mary’s Meals for an entire school year.
“Research shows that children who eat Mary’s Meals have more energy, feel healthier and happier, find it easier to concentrate and do better in school.”
Initially the school planned to raise the money by July last year – only for the coronavirus pandemic to halt its plans.
Mr Bell added: “Our pupils loved the thought that by raising just £15.90, they would enable a child to eat a nutritious meal every day and attend school for a whole year.
“However, then the pandemic began we realised that asking for sponsored events was not feasible, and on March 23 our schools closed their doors to most pupils.
“However, the children and staff were adamant that they wanted to continue their fundraising. The deadline for the target was extended until December 2020.
“This determination was underlined by the fact that the
Kafumphe Primary School also had to close and the pupils would potentially not receive any food.”
During the pandemic, Mary’s Meals is providing children with food at home, until it is safe for them to return to the classroom.
Parents and guardians collect the food from a central distribution point – observing all necessary hygiene and social distancing measures.
Soap is distributed along with handwashing guidance to help support communities’ resilience to the virus.
Gillian Mcmahon, Director of Supporter Engagement and Income at Mary’s Meals, said: “We never cease to be amazed by the creative and committed fundraising efforts of the pupils and schools who support our work. The amount raised by Painsley Catholic Academy is so impressive.
“We are immensely grateful to everyone involved for their extraordinary fundraising efforts. This will help to transform the lives of children in Malawi so they receive nutritious meals, supporting them to feel healthier and happier and making it easier for them to concentrate in school. It’s clear that raising these funds have also proved life-changing in a different way for the pupils who took part, really demonstrating that so many little acts of kindness can make such a big difference.”
The 15 schools involved included:
■ Painsley Catholic College;
■ St Filumena’s Catholic Primary School, Caverswall;
■ The Faber Catholic Academy, Cotton;
■ St Giles’ Catholic Primary School, Cheadle;
■ St Mary’s Catholic Primary School, Leek;
■ St Thomas’s Catholic Primary School, Tean;
■ St Dominic’s Catholic Primary School, Stone;
■ Plus eight schools from the Stafford region.
Mr Bell added: “We must look after each other regardless of where we live, our gender, our background, our colour, our faith.
“The pupils, through their individual acts of kindness, will collectively be providing 7,862 children with meals for a year.”