March 22, 2023

Dear Parishioners and Friends of St. Stephen,

Four months ago, the idea to hold a pickleball event at St. Stephen’s Parish to raise money for Mary’s Meals was formed. The concept was simple: combine our community’s love of Pickleball with the opportunity to raise awareness and funds for the non-profit, Mary’s Meals. The name, Pickleball for Porridge was chosen to symbolize the nutritious meals that children in the African nation of Malawi are served in their place of education. Through Mary’s Meals relationship with local farmers and the communities they serve, including the mothers of children who are fed in school and prepare the meals, Mary’s Meals can feed a child for $25.20 a yearj. The children return to school each day to fill their bellies and learn. This is such a simple but powerful concept that works to erase hunger and poverty in our world!

Through the support of so many in our parish and community during our first Pickleball for Porridge Marathon, we were able to raise more than $17,000 for Mary’s Meals. These funds will feed an additional 675 children this year. None of this would have been possible without the support of Mary’s Meals USA staff, our Pickleball for Porridge Committee of Anne Prial, Lydia vanDuynhoven, Eileen Sciscoe, Lugene Maher, Theresa Mandracchia, and Mary-Ellen Kerr. We would like to thank our sponsors, countless volunteers, non-player supporters of our Meatless Monday, Taco Thursday, Line Dancing events and Tricky Tray participants for their generosity. We are particularly grateful for all those who enthusiastically supported the event by playing pickleball for the Mary’s Meals cause the week of March 13.

Mary’s Meals truly is a grassroots operation. The organization is currently feeding 2.4 million children in 18 of the poorest countries in the world. If you would like to support our efforts, donations can still be dropped off to St. Stephen Parish Community Center located at 228 West St. in Warwick. Please make checks payable to Mary’s Meals.

We look forward to future efforts to combine our community’s love of Pickleball with this worthwhile cause!

Thank you and God bless,

Mary Juliano
Pickleball for Porridge Chair