Category Archives: Special Events

For those of you that miss Gerard Butler, LOOK what he’s up to!

You may be wondering why I’m blogging about Gerard Butler. Anyone who knows me will understand but the truth is, I’ve been a big fan since 2003 when I first saw him in the movies Timeline and Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life. The tall, handsome, Scot with the piercing blue-green eyes, immediately captivated me with his talents and I made it my mission to look for his acting work. I bonded with one of my closest friends, Gaye, who is an avid movie buff, when we met in 2005 and I turned her on to Gerry’s work. We watched a lot of his films together, even some that we weren’t all that keen about, and we still talk about him to this day. I have seen 35 of his films and continue to follow his career. The thing that makes Gerry so special is not his good looks or his acting talent, but rather, the size of his heart.

I learned about Mary’s Meals because of Gerard Butler and it is because of him that I have made it my number one charity. I was fortunate to be among the first people in Canada to view the exclusive premiere of Love Reaches Everywhere on Tuesday, June 23, 2020 and the documentary, which is so full of joy, hope and beautiful children, left me with a huge smile on my face, a lump in my throat, and a renewed commitment to do what I can to support Mary’s Meals. Today, Thursday, June 25, 2020 is the day that Love Reaches Everywhere launches in Canada.

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TORONTO, Canada.

Mary’s Meals, the school feeding charity, has teamed up with longstanding supporter and Hollywood star Gerard Butler to release a new film Love Reaches Everywhere, which follows the actor and producer as he travels to Liberia and Haiti with the charity’s founder, Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow, to experience the charity’s work.

Filmed before the Covid-19 crisis, Love Reaches Everywhere shows the transformative power of education and the desperate need for food in school for some of the most vulnerable children in the world. These children continue to need support even though Covid-19 has closed many of their traditional places of education.

“We are in a time of unprecedented global crisis that is impacting the way people around the world are living, working and being educated,” said Magnus. “Children are especially vulnerable and at risk in this situation and there is a significant danger that they are forgotten amid the fear and confusion of this new world.”

“As a charity that is committed to feeding children in some of the world’s poorest communities, it is more important than ever for Mary’s Meals to keep its promise and support those children by delivering food to them in their communities and homes, which are their new places of education.

“By sharing his experiences with Mary’s Meals through this film, Gerry is helping us to shine a spotlight on the children we feed and ensure their voices aren’t lost.”

Gerard Butler, who has starred in films such as 300, Angel Has Fallen and P.S. I Love You, was able to meet some of the real-life heroes at the heart of Mary’s Meals. In the film, Gerard says:

“Going on this journey hit me from so many different angles – emotional, spiritual and physical. I make movies about heroes, but often they’re in big, over-the-top settings … and then you go to Liberia and Haiti and you see that the teachers in the schools are heroes, and the kids are all heroes that come here on empty stomachs every day to get an education.

“Every meal served by Mary’s Meals is a piece of charity and a little piece of love. And that all passes down into the families and communities and gives that sense of hope. It’s the difference between a kid saying, ‘I want to survive tomorrow’ and ‘I want to be a doctor.’”

The film shows Butler immersing himself in community life – teaching a math’s lesson, dancing, planting crops in a school garden, preparing food, carrying water from a local well, and even sharing acting tips with some children ahead of a school nativity play.

The global launch of LOVE REACHES EVERYWHERE is now available.

For More Information:
www.marysmeals.ca
Irene Carroll | Irene.carroll@Marysmeals.org | 416-366-5473 

Kindly Note:

• Mary’s Meals feeds over 1.6 million children a day through school feeding programmes in 19 countries: Malawi, Liberia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Haiti, Kenya, India, South Sudan, Uganda, Ethiopia, Benin, Lebanon, Syria, Myanmar, Thailand, Ecuador, Niger, Madagascar and Romania.

• It costs $26.40 (CDN) to feed a child for a whole school year or .13 cents a day

• Mary’s Meals is owned and run by local communities in the countries in which it operates. Where possible, meals are prepared using food that has been grown locally. This helps to support families and boost the local economy.

• While schools are closed because of the Covid-19 pandemic, the charity’s work continues. Through community distributions of food parcels and essential hygiene items, Mary’s Meals is continuing to reach almost every child enrolled in its feeding programs, enabling parents or guardians to cook daily meals for the children at home, in their temporary place of education.

• Mary’s Meals began in 2002 when Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow 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 be able to go to school one day.”

• In 2010 Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow was named a TOP 10 CNN Hero

• In 2015 Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow was named one of TIME MAGAZINE’S 100 Most Influential People

Timeline of a Friendship
The Background to Love Reaches Everywhere

2010: Gerard Butler presents Mary’s Meals’ Founder and CEO, Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow, with a ‘CNN Heroes’ award in recognition of Mary’s Meals’ work, feeding hundreds of thousands of children in some of the most impoverished communities around the world. Gerard has already heard a lot about the charity from his mum, who is a big supporter of Mary’s Meals and has always wanted Gerard to get involved too.

After chatting with Magnus backstage, Gerard says, “I just thought, ‘dude, you’re amazing!’ and, from that moment on, we became fast friends.”             

2013: Magnus invites Gerard to travel with him to Liberia to see Mary’s Meals in action and visit some of the schools where feeding is happening. The trip sees Gerard pitching in to help volunteer cooks prepare and serve up Mary’s Meals. He also teaches a class of orphans, plays football with kids, loads a truck with sacks of rice, plants pepper seeds and pineapples at a school garden and dances with villagers.

During the trip, Gerard says: “I have been struck by the strength of peoples’ dignity – Mary’s Meals is all about respecting and promoting the lives and cultures of people and showing just what they’re capable of.”

Magnus says: “Gerry has a great gift with kids and I hope that through his commitment to raise awareness of our work, we can reach many more children with Mary’s Meals.”

2014-17: Gerard continues to support Mary’s Meals and features in one of the charity’s key film releases, Generation Hope.

2018: Gerard calls Magnus to ask if he can accompany him on another trip to a Mary’s Meals programme country. Together they set off for Haiti, where they visit schools where feeding is already taking place and others where no food is yet available. They meet an inspirational array of people including children and teachers, programme staff and volunteers, all with their own stories to tell. Gerard witnesses first-hand the dire need of some communities and the difference it makes when Mary’s Meals finally reaches them. The trip has a profound effect on Gerard and he says: “I make movies about heroes, but often they’re in bigger, over-the-top settings. And then you come here and you see there’s a hero right there… the teachers in the school are heroes, the kids are all heroes that come here on empty stomachs every day to try and get an education.” 

Feb 2020: Magnus and Gerard meet again at another awards ceremony… but this time it’s Magnus handing out the honours to Gerard, as he is recognised for his work with Mary’s Meals at the ‘Cinema for Peace Awards’ in Berlin. Previous winners of the accolade include Angelina Jolie, George Clooney and Leonardo Di Caprio. Magnus says: “When Gerry speaks about our mission, and those we are serving, he does so with deep understanding and compassion, and because of that, he has inspired so many around the world to take action in support of Mary’s Meals. I could not be more thrilled that he is being honoured and recognised in this way!”

June 2020: Love Reaches Everywhere is released – a film which captures both of Gerard and Magnus’ trips (to Liberia and Haiti) and explores themes from friendship and community to love, hope and everyday heroes.

CONNECT WITH MARY’S MEALS: https://linktr.ee/marysmeals.ca