World Porridge Day
10th October – every year
Join in this celebration of Scotland’s traditional national dish to help feed hungry children in some of the poorest countries across the globe.
The small Scottish Highland village of Carrbridge – home of the annual World Porridge Making Championships – has teamed up with the Scottish-based charity, Mary’s Meals to establish an international World Porridge Day.
We hope you will take part by joining porridge makers across the globe to help support the work of Mary’s Meals.
Mary’s Meals, which operates its international headquarters from a tin shed in the Argyll area of the Scottish Highlands, has one simple aim: To provide a daily meal in a place of education so chronically hungry children are encouraged into school, where they can gain a basic education that can provide an escape route from poverty.
Mary’s Meals works in 19 countries, providing daily meals for more than 1.6 million hungry children every day they attend school.
World Porridge Day aims to raise awareness of the role that porridge plays in Mary’s Meals in Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe where a daily mug of maize-based porridge ‘likuni phala’ enables children to attend class and learn.
It costs just £13.90 to feed a child with Mary’s Meals for a whole school year.
You can help impoverished communities to build a better future by supporting Mary’s Meals on World Porridge Day. There are lots of ways to get involved. You can:
- Throw a Porridge Party with family, friends or workmates and cook up some good, hearty porridge – or maybe bake some oatmeal cookies or flapjacks – and ask everyone to make a donation to help support Mary’s Meals.
- Share your #PorridgeSmiles: Post a photo of yourself on 10 October smiling with your porridge bowl on social media using #PorridgeSmiles. Tag @marysmeals on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and they’ll reply with a story from one of the children we feed.
- Click here to be inspired by Perfect Porridge recipes from some of our favourite chefs and celebrities including Gary Maclean and Joanna Lumley. You could serve some of these delicious dishes at your Porridge Party.
Countries where Mary’s Meals works
Mary’s Meals feeds 1,504,471 children every school day in 18 countries: Malawi, Liberia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Haiti, Kenya, India, South Sudan, Uganda, Ethiopia, Benin, Lebanon, Syria, Myanmar, Thailand, Ecuador, Madagascar and Romania.
Throughout the world, hunger blocks poor children from gaining an education, which is their most likely escape route out of poverty. Mary’s Meals offers a simple solution to this problem by working with local communities to provide nutritious daily meals for children in school. Where children receive Mary’s Meals in their place of education, there is a rise in enrolment, attendance and academic performance.
For information on Mary’s Meals, please visit marysmeals.org.uk and to find out how you can get involved in World Porridge Day, please visit worldporridgeday.com.