Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow

Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow OBE is founder and CEO of Mary’s Meals, a global hunger charity that provides a daily meal in a place of education for more than two million of the world’s poorest children. The nutritious meals bring children to the classroom, where they can gain a basic education that provides an escape route from poverty.

In 2010, Magnus was praised as a CNN hero for his role in founding and leading Mary's Meals and, in April 2015, he was named one of Time magazine's 100 most influential people in the world. Magnus’ first book, The Shed That Fed A Million Children, reached the UK’s prestigious Sunday Times bestseller list immediately after its release. His second book, GIVE: Charity and the Art of Living Generously, is also published by HarperCollins and currently available in hardback and audiobook formats. Magnus’ first book has been fully updated as The Shed That Fed 2 Million Children and was published by HarperCollins on 30 September 2021.

Magnus has given many public talks to audiences large and small, including delivering the keynote address at the World Food Prize in 2013. He has also spoken at youth festivals, Christian conferences and other events for a range of audiences including entrepreneurs, food industry experts and educators.

He started his career as a fish farmer in Argyll, Scotland. In 1992, during the Balkan conflict, Magnus and his brother Fergus were so moved by the scenes on television that they took a week’s leave from their jobs, loaded a jeep with aid and joined a convoy travelling to Medjugorje, in Bosnia, to distribute it. On their return, donations continued to flood in resulting in Magnus eventually driving from Scotland to Bosnia a total of 23 times to deliver vital supplies. He never returned to his old job and instead set up a registered charity, named Scottish International Relief (SIR).

Soon after, Magnus met Julie, a nurse, who volunteered to help him deliver emergency aid. Julie became committed to the charity, and its founder too. The couple married and now have seven children together.

During a trip to Malawi in 2002, Magnus met with a family whose predicament was to spark a change in not only his own life, but in the lives of thousands of others. Lying on the floor of a hut was a mother named Emma, who was dying of AIDS. Her six children were gathered around her and Magnus asked the eldest, Edward, what it was that he hoped for from life. “To have enough to eat and to be able to go to school one day,” was his answer.

Edward’s words inspired a mission to bring hungry children to school by providing Mary’s Meals. Working with like-minded people and in partnership with some of the world’s poorest communities, Magnus leads a mission that lets children all over the world know they matter.

From starting out feeding just 200 children in southern Malawi in 2002, the charity now works with communities in 20 countries to provide meals for more than two million children every school day – cooked and served by local volunteers.

Mary's Meals is a simple idea that works. A daily meal in school has a positive impact on enrolment, attendance and performance in class, and could even hold the key to eradicating child hunger altogether. The global average cost of feeding a child for a whole school year with Mary’s Meals is just $26.40 CAD.

Support for Mary’s Meals is global, with affiliate organizations operating in Australia, Austria, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Poland, Spain, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States, as well as international fundraising groups in Belgium, the Netherlands, Portugal, and Slovakia.

For more information, please visit marysmeals.ca