It’s November and I am not ashamed to say that the launch of the new John Lewis advert has already got me feeling slightly festive. I am not usually so easily taken in by these adverts, if anything I am the ‘bah humbug’ guy who leaves Christmas until the 24th. However, this year is going to be different. This Christmas is my first as a Dad. Now you can maybe understand why the John Lewis advert got me! Needless to say it certainly got me thinking about the presents I would need to buy, the stocking that would need to be hung and (even though she is only 6 months) the mince pies that would ‘need’ to be left out for Santa, this year accompanied by a wee dram! Yet interestingly while this advert brings all this to mind it also emphasises the joy and pleasure found in making someone else happy.
Amid all the ‘stuff’, I believe this what really makes Christmas and making it simple to help others is also why I started One Feeds Two.
One Feeds Two is a new kind of charity that makes sharing a meal as simple as eating a meal. Food companies carry our logo on their products and menus, so that every time a customer buys a One Feeds Two meal or product, they also share a school meal with a child living in poverty.
These school meals are all about helping the world’s poorest children attend school. In households living on less than a dollar a day children really struggle to access education because of their basic need to eat. In such households, where 50-60% of their income is spent on food, children are often left to work or scavenge for their food. In such communities providing a free school meal really is life changing.
Our first national partner, COOK, are adopting One Feeds Two on their Christmas range and we are now looking for all food companies, big and small, to get involved, to make it simple for us all to share meals with the world’s poorest children as part of our day-to-day routine.
So this Christmas, amongst the fun, feasts and chaos we would love you to get behind One Feeds Two. To do so we’ve made it easy for you to get involved. Firstly, you can spread the word about our idea with local food companies and friends that work in the food industry and you can also buy One Feeds Two products from your local COOK store. Finally you can also host your own One Feeds Two Christmas dinner, or office party – all you have to do is donate the same number of meals that you serve at your party and amazingly it only costs 20p per school meal you donate. Just go to www.onefeedstwo.org/donate and our meal calculator will make the sums easy for you.
So this season enjoy Monty the Penguin and the onslaught of other Christmas ads over the next 4 weeks and if you like the sound of One Feeds Two do what you can to support our movement for happier meals.
If you would like, you can watch the One Feeds Two video here as well, just to get a little more information.
J P
JP has pioneered and piloted One Feeds Two in Edinburgh with his business, The Elephant Juice Food Co - providing 37,500 meals to children living in poverty. With a corporate background, JP spent his early professional life as a restructuring and insolvency lawyer with a Tier 1 Law Firm in Edinburgh. JP’s role required him to lead and project manage complex restructuring transactions acting for the major clearing banks and accountancy practices throughout the UK during 2008-2011 banking crisis. JP loves to travel and has a real passion for exploring new cultures, inspired from accompanying his father, who is CEO of large Scottish Charity, on numerous trips to Eastern Europe in his teens. Experiencing real poverty on such trips has been one of key reasons for JP now venturing into the charitable sector. JP is married to Corrina, who is a primary school teacher and they are adapting to life with their new born Jessie Mae. The pair met playing hockey together in their childhood and both went on to compete internationally before retiring for more relaxing Saturday run outs with their local clubs! When they are not taking to the hockey pitch or changing nappies they can be found exploring the beaches of East Lothian with their mischievous dog, Maverick.