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Gerard Butler honoured for work with Mary’s Meals

This news post is about 4 years old
 

The Paisley-born star has received a Cinema for Peace Honorary Award.

Holywood star Gerard Butler has received a prestigious award for his work with school feeding charity Mary’s Meals.

The Paisley-born star was given a Cinema for Peace honorary award at a ceremony in Berlin this month.

Previous winners of the award include Leonardo DiCaprio, George Clooney, Sean Penn and Butler’s Tomb Raider co-star Angelina Jolie.

Butler has been a supporter of Mary’s Meals since he presented a CNN Hero award to the charity’s founder Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow in 2010.

He now raises awareness of the Scottish charity as well as visiting communities that have benefited from the service.

MacFarlane-Barrow, who joined Butler on stage in Berlin, said: “Gerry’s support has played an enormous part in raising awareness of our mission around the world. He has really immersed himself in this work, spending time with some of the communities we serve.

“When he speaks about our mission and those we are serving he does so with deep understanding and compassion, and because of that he has inspired so many around the world to take action in support of Mary’s Meals. I could not be more thrilled that he has been honoured and recognised in this way.”

Butler has spent time with communities in Liberia and Haiti who run school feeding programmes with the support of Mary’s Meals, and has met children whose lives are being transformed by the simple gift of a daily meal, seeing first-hand the impact this gift can have. During a recent trip to Haiti, he even gave some acting tips to budding stars ahead of their school Nativity play.

His time visiting communities who run Mary’s Meals projects has been captured on film and plans are coming together for a release later this year.

Butler said: “It’s humbling to be recognised by Cinema for Peace in this way, but I’ve always felt it’s a privilege to be involved with Mary’s Meals. Feeding kids, while they learn, is a simple thing that truly transforms lives.

“The communities I spent time with in Haiti and Liberia were amazing and inspiring. What Mary’s Meals always reminds me is that great things happen when everyone does their bit.”

Cinema for Peace aims to support and promote films that work towards a better world and, to date, has donated more than $10 million to humanitarian projects worldwide.

Part of the proceeds from the awards gala will be donated to Mary’s Meals to help feed more hungry children in school.