The charity Mary's Meals, which recently reached the milestone of feeding one million children every school day, has launched a new campaign which aims to extend its feeding programmes even further.

The Feed the Future appeal will run until the end of December and is backed by the UK Government, which has promised to double every personal donation, up to £5million. It costs just £12.20 for Mary's Meals to feed a child for a school year which means a donation of that amount, once doubled by the government, will feed not one but two children for a whole school year.

The Feed the Future appeal also marks the beginning of a new partnership between Mary's Meals and The Herald and Evening Times. The campaign is also being supported by Stagecoach, which has provided a bus wrapped in Mary's Meals livery to publicise the appeal. Buses on more than 150 routes across Scotland and England will also carry a special "text to donate" code.

Magnus McFarlane Barrow, the CEO and founder of Mary's Meals, said he was delighted that every individual donation received in the name of the Feed Our Future appeal would be doubled.

"Our vision is that every child should be able to receive one good meal every day in a place of education," he said. "Working together with people who share our ideals, we believe that our vision can be achieved in this world of plenty, where there is enough food for everyone."

To donate, visit www.marysmeals.org.uk or for just £3, you can provide 100 meals by texting "DBLE15 £3" to 70070. The suggested text will charge £3 plus the cost of one standard message to your phone bill or pre-paid credit.

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