Milton Keynes charity St Mark's Meals has opened a new warehouse and office space due to its continued growth and increasing service demand.
The charity provides Meal Boxes to children across the city who would otherwise go to bed hungry. Meals are distributed to children, students and their families through a network of over 140 schools, children’s centres and community hubs across the city.
Rachel Fielding, manager of St Mark's Meals, explained, “When we started six years ago, we had one shelf in the vicar’s garage, and we delivered meals from the boot of the car. Now we have four staff, a fantastic team of volunteers, and 140 wonderful schools working passionately to ensure children get a tasty dinner.”
Rachel continued, “While our new warehouse space is exciting, it is also bittersweet. We have needed to find a larger space because there are more families struggling to make ends meet and more children uncertain where their next meal might be coming from. That is not a good thing!”
The recent Vital Signs 2025 report published by the MK Community Foundation stated that 32% of children in the city live in poverty. Food insecurity is a real issue for many of these children.
Rev Paul Oxley, founder of St Marks Meals explained “we are in the food business, but we are also in the stress reduction business. All parents know the feeling of a child asking “what’s for dinner”…it is painful and hugely stressful if, as a parent, you know that the only answer to that question is “nothing”. That we can help pupils leave school with an evening meal for their family is a wonderful thing, reducing hunger and stress for another day.”
The charity, visited by King Charles in 2023, offers a variety of Meals, including a Sausage Hot Pot and a Curry—each box containing all the necessary ingredients as well as a fun recipe card and activity. They also pack dedicated boxes for older students with QR Codes linking to instructional videos to help pupils cook their dinner.
Rachel told us, “Last year we provided over 30 thousand plates of dinner. The new premises will enable us to deliver even more this year, thanks to all our dedicated volunteers and generous supporters”
You can find out more about the charity at www.stmarksmk.com/meals
