Jimmy Cricket and members of his family helped Mary’s Meals to celebrate an amazing 20 years of charitable work.
Mary’s Meals supports feeding projects in some of the world’s poorest communities where hunger and poverty prevent children from gaining an education.
It grew out of a charity called Scottish International Relief (SIR).
SIR was set up after Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow and his brother Fergus took aid from their home in Argyll, Scotland, to Medjugorje, Bosnia-Herzegovina, during the conflict in 1992.
The Mary’s Meals campaign itself was born in 2002 when Magnus visited Malawi during a famine and met a mother dying from AIDS.
When Magnus asked her eldest son Edward what his dreams were in life, he replied simply: “I want to have enough food to eat and to go to school one day.”
That moment was a key part of the inspiration which led to the founding of Mary’s Meals.
‘What a wonderful afternoon’
The charity began by feeding 200 children in Malawi.
Today, it feeds 2,279,941 hungry children every school day across 20 countries.
The charity is named in honour of Mary, the mother of Jesus, who brought up her own child in poverty.
The 20-year landmark celebration took place in the parish of St Margaret Clitherow, Rochdale.
Jimmy attended the special event with his wife May and Fr Frankie Mulgrew, one of his sons.
The famous comedian tweeted: “What a wonderful afternoon @StMCRochdale for the organisation who educates and feeds over 2 million children a day.
“Here (below) is Fran with some of the volunteers @MarysMeals alongside Fr Simon Firth who led the 20 year celebrations.
“For more information visit marysmeals.org.uk/our-story.”
Comedian-turned-priestcFr Frankie is a long-standing supporter of Mary’s Meals.
He has previously written two books, the proceeds from both going to Mary’s Meals.
He compiled and edited Does God LOL? (LOL is internet slang for Laugh Out Loud), published in 2013.
Fr Frankie is also the author of Miracles R Us: Supernatural Miracles In The Catholic Church.
He was a professional comedian like his dad before being ordained in 2013.
The Salford-based Roman Catholic priest had the stage name of Frankie Doodle as an entertainer.
Also read: Packed show is a family affair for Mary’s Meals fundraiser
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