Sad day for Mary’s Meals

We were all saddened to hear that all the Mary’s Meals shops, including the ones in Oban and Lochgilphead, are closing due to rising costs and declining income.

The news came this week, with Oban shop manager Liz Caldwell expressing her “devastation” that the shop will close.

Mary’s Meals executive director Daniel Adams said the cost of feeding children in the world’s poorest countries had risen “by an unprecedented 20 per cent”. And that “simply put, our income is not growing at the same rate as the cost of feeding children.”

Volunteers and shoppers also expressed their shock, with one volunteer saying a lot of people bought from the shop due to affordability, particularly for children’s clothing.

There were plenty of comments on social media. One said: “It was the first place I went when I was homeless. I’ll never forget the amazing people who work there.”

While another said: “It comes to something when even charity shops have to close due to costs, at a time when most needed. Society is moving backwards, not forward!”

Mary’s Meals is a hugely worthwhile charity and its vital work continues, so we would urge people to keep supporting it if they can.

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