Melbourne parish hosted a special talk last Monday organised by Mary’s Meals, a global charity providing daily school meals to more than three million children in some of the world’s poorest communities.
Melbourne, Australia, 17 September 2026 — An extraordinary story of conversion, faith and the power of one simple act of love took centre stage at the recent Melbourne event featuring long-time Mary’s Meals supporter John Pridmore.
Hosted at the beautiful St Peter’s Parish in Toorak, the evening brought together key lay leaders, priests, school principals and Australian corporate executives and business leaders for an inspiring celebration of faith, music and personal testimony.
The special gathering invited Australians to discover the story behind a global grassroots movement that now provides a daily school meal to more than three million children in 16 countries, giving children living in some of the world’s poorest communities the opportunity to attend school, learn and receive hope for a brighter future.
At the heart of the evening was a simple message: hope can begin with one person choosing to act.
For John, the story of Mary’s Meals is deeply connected with the Christian call to put love into action: responding to the needs of another person not simply with words, but with practical generosity.
“When I had the opportunity to go to Liberia to minister to the former child soldiers who were receiving Mary’s Meals, I saw the impact first-hand on the ground. That’s when I started sharing the story of Mary’s Meals. Through our parish missions, we raised over 2 million euros to serve children. For $34.80, you can provide meals for a child at their place of education for a whole school year, which is incredibly cost effective.” says John Pridmore.
Thanks to this touching testimony, John reminded Australians that there is a simple and effective way to put hope into action: feeding the next child waiting for a better future.
About Mary’s Meals
Mary’s Meals provides one daily meal in a place of education, targeting communities where hunger and poverty can prevent children from attending school.
The approach is deliberately simple and community-led. Local people play a central role in preparing and serving meals, while food is sourced locally wherever possible. The result is not simply a meal, but an opportunity: children can attend school, concentrate in class and begin to imagine a different future.
Mary’s Meals began in 2002 after founder Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow encountered a young boy named Edward in Malawi who dreamed of having enough food to eat and going to school. From an initial programme feeding around 200 children, Mary’s Meals serves today more than three million children every school day. The organisation is named in honour of Mary, the mother of Jesus, and its Catholic roots remain an important
part of its identity. At the same time, Mary’s Meals is a grassroots movement made up of people from many faiths and none, united by a shared belief in the dignity and potential of every child.
It costs just A$34.80 to provide Mary’s Meals to one child for an entire school year.
Mary’s Meals Australia is a registered Australian charity and Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR), meaning eligible donations can be tax deductible.
About John Pridmore and Mary’s Meals
A former London gangster, John experienced a profound conversion and has since dedicated his life to sharing the Christian message internationally and encouraging people to live lives transformed by faith.
His connection with Mary’s Meals goes back many years. John met Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow and became closely involved with the charity’s work, including supporting the development of Mary’s Meals in Ireland. He has continued to speak publicly about the mission and encourage communities to support the work of providing school meals to children.
For John, the story of Mary’s Meals is deeply connected with the Christian call to love in action: responding to the needs of another person not simply with words, but with practical generosity.
Everyone can be part of the story
The gathering encouraged attendees to consider how they can become part of Mary’s Meals, highlighting just some of the opportunities…
- Invite Mary’s Meals to your local faith community — arrange for a Mary’s Meals speaker to visit and share the story with your community.
- Host a Mary’s Meals dinner party — invite friends, family or colleagues for a simple meal and use the occasion to raise funds and awareness for hungry children.
- Start a church supporter group or fundraiser — bring together a small group to pray and spread the word about Mary’s Meals.
- Read and share the story — discover Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow’s bestselling book, The Shed That Fed 2 Million Children, available for free at Veritatis Press with any order, and pass it on to someone else once you have read it.
- Share the story online — follow and share Mary’s Meals Australia content on social media.
- Give through your business — businesses can make a charitable gift to Mary’s Meals, including as part of their Christmas giving or end-of-financial-year giving.
- Make a personal gift — A$34.80 can provide one child with Mary’s Meals for an entire school year.
For more information Please visit: https://www.marysmeals.org.au/
This article was first published by Mary’s Meals and has been adapted and republished by EWTN Australia.
