Schools across County Durham are being encouraged to turn forgotten holiday money into meals for hungry children when pupils return after the summer break.
Mary’s Meals is asking schools to organise foreign-currency collections and parents to check pockets, purses and wallets for unused coins and notes. The money can be sent into school with children at the start of the new term.
The charity says even a small donation can make a difference. It costs 10p to provide a nutritious meal in a place of education, while £19.15 can provide meals for one child for an entire school year.
How the school collections work
Schools can request a free foreign-currency fundraising pack from the Mary’s Meals website. The charity says each pack includes envelopes, a collection box and clear instructions for schools, families and pupils.
Mary’s Meals accepts coins and notes from any country, as well as old UK currency that is no longer in circulation. That means money left over from family holidays, or forgotten in drawers and wallets, can be collected rather than left unused.
The appeal comes as children prepare to return to school after the summer holidays. Mary’s Meals is encouraging schools to involve parents and pupils in setting up collections at the beginning of the new academic year.
What previous collections have raised
St Richard’s Catholic College in East Sussex has been running foreign-currency collections since 2024. Its fundraising has generated £733 for Mary’s Meals, which the charity says is enough to feed 38 children for a full school year.
Lidia Mead, the school’s subject leader for religious education, said the approach had made a strong impression on pupils as well as raising money.
“I am always blown away by the amount we collect through foreign currency collections. We all have some leftover money from our holidays, and what better way to get rid of it than to help feed children – an amazing, simple idea.”
She said pupils already take part in fundraising activities such as cake sales and raffles, but that foreign-currency collections gave them a direct way to understand how their donations could help other children.
“They do a huge amount of charity work through the likes of cake sales and raffles, but this way of fundraising is different. Pupils know the money is turned into meals for children, which helps them realise the great work they are doing. Being able to feed a child for under £20 a year really puts things into perspective for them too.”
How Mary’s Meals says school meals help
Mary’s Meals was founded in a shed in the Scottish Highlands in 2002. The charity now provides school meals to more than three million children in 16 countries every school day, including Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Its model is based on providing a daily meal in a place of education. The charity says the promise of food encourages children to attend school, where they can receive an education and have greater hope for the future.
One child supported by the programme is seven-year-old Sitraka, a pupil at Sahafy Primary School in Madagascar. The charity says his household faces hunger and that the meal he receives at school is sometimes the only meal he eats during the day.
“The food at school is delicious,”
Sitraka said, adding:
“but at home, we never have anything that tastes this good.”
Mary’s Meals says reliable access to food has improved his attendance and academic performance. It says education could help him secure a stable job as he grows up and offer a route out of poverty for him and his family.
Gerrard McMahon, the charity’s regional development officer, said schools could set up collections with support from Mary’s Meals.
“We’d love for your school to set up its own foreign currency collection! We’ll provide everything you need, including envelopes, a collection box and clear instructions. We accept coins and notes from any country, as well as old UK currency no longer in circulation.”
Schools and families seeking further information can visit marysmeals.org.uk/foreign-currency.