Pickleball for Porridge Marathon

St. Stephen’s Parish in Warwick, New York, has supported the work of Mary’s Meals for nearly ten years. The group sought out a new way to fundraise and found it in their own parish in gym at the pickleball courts. The Pickleball for Porridge Marathon was born in that moment and after its completion, the parish raised more than $17,000! 

Pickleball is the fastest growing game in America and St. Stephen’s parishioners play it daily in their gym. The parish put together a week full of events, with the ongoing pickleball games as the centerpiece event and other supporting events like Meatless Monday featuring cuisine from countries where Mary’s Meals provides meals, Taco Thursday, Line Dancing and a Tricky Tray.  

Mary’s Meals Ambassador and Regional Coordinator, Michelle Keller, attended the marathon and had the opportunity to share more about Mary’s Meals with members of the parish. She explains the joy of sharing our story and the impact of our meals in correlation with the pickleball games, “Thinking about the energy needed to play and how much our nutrition really plays a part. How beautiful to share with these fabulous new friends of Mar's Meals about how our children get their energy from their daily meal at school.” 

Prior to the marathon, St. Stephen’s raised $131,000 for Mary’s Meals over the last decade. They sponsor feeding at Kabale Primary School in Malawi which serves over 650 children. We are so grateful for the support of St. Stephen’s and the amazing ways they bring their community together for our mission!