Pray In May for hungry children around the world

Since its humble beginnings, Mary’s Meals – named in honour of Mary, the mother of Jesus – has been built on a foundation of prayer and the many little acts of love offered by those who believe in its mission. 

During May, we're inviting churches, schools and individuals across the country to join us to Pray In May for the children who eat our life-changing school meals. 

Restoring hope in challenging circumstances 

With prayer and the support of people throughout the UK, Mary’s Meals can continue to provide food, energy and hope to children like Nicholas, 12, from Zambia. 

Nicholas was born with a condition that severely impedes his mobility and speech. He has been bed and wheelchair-bound for most of his life. Because of his poor health, Nicholas didn’t attend school and was cared for by his parents while his siblings spent their days at Chagona Primary School, where they received Mary’s Meals. 

When Nicholas turned nine, he expressed a desire to eat the same porridge as his siblings – so in 2023, he enrolled at the school and his mother, Deblun, began carrying him on her back to take him there each morning. 

Since then, Nicholas has become a dedicated pupil, and the daily servings of porridge are helping him to grow and become stronger.

Fran Lawson, Regional Growth Officer at Mary’s Meals, adds: “Please, if you can, pray for children and their communities in the countries where we work who are facing extreme challenges – such as Haiti, where escalating gang violence continues to displace people from their homes and limit access to food, and Lebanon, which is among the hardest-hit countries as tensions across the Middle East continue to escalate."

Download Pray In May resources

We have developed a range of easy-to-use Pray In May resources, including printable prayers for children and a bulletin notice with information to share with your parish.

Churches can request a talk to introduce the charity to their congregation – or use the resources independently. Churches may also consider organising an event to encourage prayer for Mary's Meals, using our prayer resources, or by requesting additional resources such as prayer cards, copies of The Shed That Fed 2 Million Children book and more. 

Mary’s Meals consists of, respects, and reaches out to people of all faiths and none – other ways to support our work include volunteering and fundraising.