MARYS MEALS USA INC
75 ORCHARD STREET, BLOOMFIELD, NJ 07003 www.marysmealsusa.org

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Organizations Filed Purposes: TO RAISE DONATIONS TO (I) PROVIDE A DAILY MEAL IN A PLACE OF EDUCATION FOR CHILDREN IN THE WORLD'S POOREST COMMUNITIES; (II) OCCASIONALLY PROVIDE RELIEF FOR THOSE SUFFERING, IN ANY PART OF THE WORLD, AS A RESULT OF HUMANITARIAN CRISES, ESPECIALLY BY PROVIDING CARE FOR ORPHANED, ABANDONED AND VULNERABLE CHILDREN; AND (III) RAISE AWARENESS OF POVERTY ISSUES THROUGH EDUCATION. MMUSA GRANTS SUCH DONATIONS AT THE DISCRETION OF THE MMUSA BOARD OF DIRECTORS THROUGH MARY'S MEALS INTERNATIONAL, HEADQUARTERED IN DALMALLY, SCOTLAND, FOR SPECIFIC COUNTRY PROGRAMS.

MARY'S MEALS USA PROVIDES GRANTS TO MARY'S MEALS INTERNATIONAL (MMI) TO FUND ITS SCHOOL FEEDING PROGRAMS, PROVIDING ONE NUTRITIOUS MEAL EVERY SCHOOL DAY TO VULNERABLE CHILDREN LIVING IN MANY OF THE WORLD'S POOREST COMMUNITIES. THESE MEALS SERVED BY VOLUNTEERS AT SCHOOLS REDUCE HUNGER AMONG CHILDREN, INCREASE SCHOOL ENROLLMENT LEVELS, IMPROVE SCHOOL ATTENDANCE AND HELP TO ELIMINATE ABSENCES ATTRIBUTED TO HUNGER. THE CONSISTENT MEALS FOR CHILDREN REDUCE THE NUMBER OF CHILDREN DROPPING OUT OF SCHOOL, INCREASE FEELINGS OF HAPPINESS AT SCHOOL AND DECREASE LEVELS OF ANXIETY DUE TO HUNGER. THE RESEARCH OBSERVED AN INCREASED SUPPORT FOR EDUCATION AMONG VULNERABLE COMMUNITIES. IN 2020, DESPITE A YEAR CHARACTERIZED BY UNPRECEDENTED CHALLENGES TO ALL ASPECTS OF OUR WORK, OUR AMAZING SUPPORTERS OF MARY'S MEALS USA PROVIDED MARY'S MEALS INTERNATIONAL WITH GRANTS THAT CONTRIBUTED WITH THE GLOBAL MOVEMENT TO:- EXPAND OUR PROGRAMS IN EIGHT COUNTRIES TO PROVIDE AN ADDITIONAL 130,000 CHILDREN WITH MARY'S MEALS FOR THE FIRST TIME, EITHER WITH MEALS IN-SCHOOL OR THROUGH COMMUNITY DISTRIBUTIONS WHILE CHILDREN DO THEIR BEST TO LEARN FROM HOME.- BEGIN WORKING WITH THREE NEW PARTNERS IN MALAWI, NIGER, AND ZIMBABWE, ENABLING US TO EXPAND OUR PROGRAM TO REACH MORE CHILDREN.IN 2020, THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC CHANGED THE WORLD AND CAUSED MARY'S MEALS TO ADAPT ALL ASPECTS OF OUR WORK ACROSS THE GLOBAL MOVEMENT. AS THE PANDEMIC TIGHTENED ITS GRIP GLOBALLY IN MARCH AND APRIL 2020 AND SCHOOLS HAD TO CLOSE THEIR DOORS, WE KNEW WE HAD TO ADAPT TO FIND NEW WAYS TO CONTINUE FEEDING THE VULNERABLE CHILDREN WHO COUNT ON OUR DAILY MEALS TO ENSURE THEY HAD ENOUGH NUTRITIOUS FOOD TO HELP THEM CONCENTRATE AND LEARN AS THEY DID THEIR BEST TO LEARN FROM HOME. DUE TO GOVERNMENT-SANCTIONED SCHOOL CLOSURES, THE VAST MAJORITY OF OUR PROGRAMS WERE TEMPORARILY SUSPENDED IN MID-MARCH AS A RESULT OF COVID-19. IN COLLABORATION WITH LOCAL COMMUNITIES, GOVERNMENTS, AND LOCAL AUTHORITIES WE DISTRIBUTED TAKE-HOME RATIONS OF MARY'S MEALS AS PART OF OUR ADAPTED DELIVERY MODEL. WE ARE DELIGHTED TO SHARE THAT 1,838,859 CHILDREN ARE NOW RECEIVING MARY'S MEALS AROUND THE WORLD, DESPITE THE IMMENSE CHALLENGES CAUSED BY THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC. THIS IS AN ASTOUNDING ACHIEVEMENT AND ONE THAT EACH AND EVERY ONE OF OUR SUPPORTERS, VOLUNTEERS AND STAFF CAN SAY THEY HAVE PLAYED A ROLE IN ACHIEVING. SCHOOLS ACROSS MALAWI, OUR LARGEST AND LONGEST-RUNNING PROGRAM COUNTRY, WHERE AROUND A THIRD OF ALL PRIMARY-SCHOOL AGE CHILDREN NORMALLY RECEIVE MARY'S MEALS, WERE CLOSED ON MARCH 20 FOLLOWING THE GOVERNMENT OF MALAWI'S DECISION TO MITIGATE THE SPREAD OF COVID-19, WHICH HAS HAD A DEVASTATING IMPACT TO THE VULNERABLE POPULATION WITHIN THE COUNTRY. COMMUNITY MEMBER AND MARY'S MEALS VOLUNTEER CATHERINE, WAS INTERVIEWED WHEN COLLECTING FOOD RATIONS AT MTENDE PRIMARY SCHOOL IN MZUZU CITY, MALAWI. IN MZUZU, A LARGE PORTION OF THE URBAN POPULATION LIVE IN INFORMAL SETTLEMENTS AND WORK IN THE INFORMAL SECTOR. MANY RESIDENTS LIVE WITHOUT ACCESS TO A WATER SUPPLY AND IN OVER-CROWDED HOUSING, MAKING SANITATION, PHYSICAL DISTANCING, AND DISINFECTION EXTREMELY DIFFICULT. THE SUPPORT MARY'S MEALS HAS PROVIDED DURING THIS DIFFICULT TIME ACT AS A SAFETY NET FOR FAMILIES LIKE CATHERINE'S, WHO ARE MOST AFFECTED BY THIS CRISIS. "THERE ARE OFTEN TIMES WHEN CHILDREN IN THIS VILLAGE ARE SENT TO SCHOOL WITHOUT EATING ANYTHING FROM THEIR HOMES. I VOLUNTEER [TO COOK MARY'S MEALS] BECAUSE I KNOW THE IMPORTANCE OF THIS PORRIDGE, TO ENSURE CHILDREN FROM THIS COMMUNITY ATTEND SCHOOL WITHOUT FEELING HUNGRY." IN ZAMBIA, THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC BEGAN AT A TIME WHEN THE COUNTRY WAS ALREADY STRUGGLING WITH DROUGHT AND FLOOD DISASTERS. IT WAS VITAL THAT WE WORKED WITH COMMUNITIES, AS THEY REMAIN AT THE HEART OF EVERYTHING WE DO, TO OVERCOME CHALLENGES AND CONTINUE TO REACH MORE BENEFICIARIES ENROLLED IN OUR FEEDING PROGRAM DURING THIS GREAT TIME OF NEED. IN OCTOBER AND NOVEMBER, TWO LARGE EXPANSIONS OF OUR SCHOOL FEEDING PROGRAM WERE DELIVERED TO REACH 133 NEW SCHOOLS IN ZAMBIA. WE ARE NOW PROVIDING A NUTRITIOUS DAILY MEAL IN SCHOOL TO AN INCREDIBLE 248,914 CHILDREN IN ZAMBIA. IN KENYA, MARY'S MEALS HAS IDENTIFIED A GREAT NEED REGARDING PRE-SCHOOL CHILDREN IN EARLY CHILDREN DEVELOPMENT (ECD) CENTERS IN TURKANA, LOCATED IN THE NORTHERN, SEMI-ARID REGION OF KENYA. IN RESPONSE TO THIS GREAT NEED AND THE UNDERSTANDING OF THE IMPACT A DAILY MEAL CAN HAVE ON YOUNG CHILDREN, WE ARE FOCUSED ON GROWING OUR FEEDING PROGRAM IN THE REGION. WE EXPANDED TO REACH 6,947 CHILDREN ENROLLED IN 72 ECDS THROUGHOUT TURKANA IN SEPTEMBER 2020 THROUGH COMMUNITY DISTRIBUTIONS, AS ECDS IN TURKANA REMAINED CLOSED FROM MARCH 2020 UNTIL JANUARY 2021. WE ARE PLEASED TO REPORT THAT WE ARE NOW REACHING A TOTAL OF 78,723 VULNERABLE CHILDREN IN KENYA. MARY'S MEALS IS NOW PROVIDING A DAILY MEAL TO 157,439 CHILDREN IN 625 PLACES OF EDUCATION ACROSS FIVE OF THE POOREST COUNTIES IN LIBERIA. OUR PROGRAM IN LIBERIA PROVES SIGNIFICANT SINCE ONE OF THE MAJOR UNDERLYING CAUSES OF POVERTY AND FOOD SECURITY IN THE COUNTRY IS LOW LEVEL OF ACCESS TO EDUCATION, WITH OFFICIAL STATISTICS SHOWING THAT ONLY 27% OF CHILDREN ARE ENROLLED IN SCHOOL. WITH SUCH A CLOSE LINK BETWEEN FOOD SECURITY AND EDUCATION IN LIBERIA, WE ENSURED THAT WE CONDUCTED COMMUNITY DISTRIBUTIONS THAT TARGETED ALL OF THE VULNERABLE CHILDREN WHO RELY ON OUR DAILY MEALS AFTER SCHOOLS CLOSED IN MARCH 2020. AT THE END OF JULY 2020, THE GOVERNMENT OF LIBERIA ANNOUNCED A PHASED RE-OPENING OF PLACES OF EDUCATION, WITH SCHOOLS RE-OPENING AT DIFFERENT TIMES FOR DIFFERENT GRADES, TO ALLOW CHILDREN TO CATCH UP ON TIME MISSED. IN MADAGASCAR, WE ARE PLEASED TO SHARE THAT WITH THE SUPPORT OF OUR PARTNERS, WE HAVE MORE THAN DOUBLED THE SIZE OF OUR FEEDING PROGRAM. OVER THE COURSE OF TWO SEPARATE EXPANSIONS IN APRIL AND NOVEMBER, WE WERE ABLE TO REACH AN ADDITIONAL 14,018 CHILDREN ACROSS 96 SCHOOLS WITH OUR PARTNER, FEEDBACK MADAGASCAR. FEEDBACK MADAGASCAR CONDUCTED RESEARCH ON THE IMPACT OF THE SCHOOL FEEDING PROGRAM SINCE IT STARTED IN 2019. AMONGST MANY FINDINGS: 1) CHILDREN ARE MORE ENERGETIC AND PARTICIPATIVE AT SCHOOL; PLAYING MORE IN BREAK-TIME AND, ON ARRIVING HOME, THEY NO LONGER COMPLAIN THAT THEY ARE HUNGRY 2) PUPILS COME EARLY TO SCHOOL - NOW PUPILS WAIT FOR TEACHERS, RATHER THAN TEACHERS WAITING FOR PUPILS; 3) PARENTS CAN WORK A FULL DAY TO EARN MONEY RATHER THAN HAVING TO RETURN HOME TO PROVIDE FOOD FOR THEIR CHILDREN AT LUNCHTIME 4) BEFORE, MEN DIDN'T HAVE ANY ROLE IN THE KITCHEN DUE TO GENDER NORMS BUT AS A RESULT OF PARTICIPATION IN SCHOOL FEEDING COMMITTEES, THEY ARE NOW WILLING TO HELP PREPARE THE MEALS. WE ARE DELIGHTED TO REPORT THAT WE FULFILLED PLANS TO FEED CHILDREN AT REMAND CENTERS IN NIGER IN APRIL, MAKING IT THE 19TH COUNTRY TO JOIN OUR GLOBAL FAMILY. THE DAILY SERVING OF MARY'S MEALS IN NIGER - WHICH CONSISTS OF RICE, SERVED WITH A VEGETABLE SAUCE AND MEAT, FISH, OR AN EGG - HELPS THESE VULNERABLE CHILDREN TO STAY HEALTHY AND MAKE THE MOST OF THE EDUCATION AND VOCATIONAL TRAINING THEY RECEIVE IN REMAND CENTERS.IN INDIA, WE ARE DELIGHTED TO ANNOUNCE THAT WE ARE NOW FEEDING 42,914 CHILDREN ACROSS 102 EDUCATION CENTERS. SINCE THE COVID-19 OUTBREAK EARLIER THIS YEAR, INDIA HAS RECORDED MORE THAN 8.6 MILLION CASES, PEAKING IN MID-SEPTEMBER. AS PER THE NATIONAL HEALTH PROFILE OF INDIA, 2019, INDIA'S EXPENDITURE ON HEALTHCARE AS A PERCENTAGE OF GDP WAS MERELY 1.28% WHICH IS LOWER THAN POORER COUNTRIES OF THE WORLD. THIS HIGHLIGHTS THE GREAT NEED IN INDIA FOR THE SUPPORT OF MARY'S MEALS IN ORDER TO SUPPORT THE NUTRITION OF CHILDREN.IN HAITI, WE HAVE CONTINUED TO SIGNIFICANTLY EXPAND OUR PROGRAM ALONGSIDE OUR TRUSTED PARTNERS, THE BUREAU DE NUTRITION ET DEVELOPPEMENT (BND) AND SUMMITS EDUCATION. THROUGH EXPANSIONS THAT OCCURRED THROUGH BOTH PARTNERS IN NOVEMBER 2020, MARY'S MEALS WAS ABLE TO REACH 29,203 CHILDREN ACROSS 91 SCHOOLS IN THE CENTRAL PLATEAU REGION AND THE OUEST DEPARTMENTS, INCLUDING THE CAPITAL, PORT-AU-PRINCE. IN TOTAL, WE ARE NOW REACHING NEARLY 100,000 CHILDREN ACROSS HAITI, BRINGING HOPE TO EVEN MORE OF THE WORLD'S POOREST CHILDREN WHO ARE IN DESPERATE NEED OF FOOD ASSISTANCE AS COVID-19 EXACERBATES THE ONGOING SOCIO-POLITICAL TURMOIL THAT THE COUNTRY CONTINUES TO FACE. WE HAVE CONTINUED TO FOCUS ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF OUR SCHOOL FEEDING DELIVERY MODEL THROUGHOUT 2020. AFTER REVIEW AND IMPLEMENTATION OF FIVE KEY PROCESSES IN 2019, MARY'S MEALS HAS DECIDED ON A DIGITAL PLATFORM TO PROVIDE AND HELP US IN THE DELIVERY OF OUR SCHOOL FEEDING PROGRAM. UNTIL WE ARE READY TO DEPLOY THIS NEW SOFTWARE, AN INTERIM MOBILE APPLICATION FOR SCHOOL FEEDING OFFICERS HAS BEEN DESIGNED AND BUILT AND IS CURRENTLY BEING PILOTED AS A TOOL FOR COMPLETING FIELD-BASED SCHOOL MONITORING. ON BEHALF OF ALL THE CHILDREN THAT MARY'S MEALS USA HAS SUPPORTED, THANK YOU.

MARY'S MEALS USA ALSO FOCUSES ON EDUCATION AND AWARENESS RAISING PROGRAMS IN THE U.S. ON THE IMPACT OF CHILD HUNGER AND THE IMPORTANCE OF SCHOOL FEEDING PROGRAMS. THIS AWARENESS-RAISING PROGRAM PORTION OF THE WORK ALLOWS THE OPPORTUNITY FOR MORE U.S. VOLUNTEERS TO JOIN MARY'S MEALS AND BECOME ADVOCATES FOR CHILDREN IN POVERTY. STAFF AND VOLUNTEERS VISIT SCHOOLS, GROUPS AND ORGANIZATIONS TO GIVE PRESENTATIONS ABOUT THE WORK OF MARY'S MEALS. MARY'S MEALS USA PROVIDES DOCUMENTARY FILMS, BROCHURES AND OTHER MATERIALS TO SUPPORT THESE EFFORTS. REGULAR EMAILS AND LETTERS ARE SENT TO THOSE WHO HAVE REQUESTED UPDATES SO THE INFORMATION CAN BE SHARED IN THEIR COMMUNITIES.

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