Argyll , Scotland ( CNN ) -- Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow was enjoying a pint at his local pub in the Scottish Highlands when he got an idea that would change his life -- and the lives of thousands of others . It was 1992 , and MacFarlane-Barrow and his brother Fergus had just seen a news report about refugee camps in Bosnia . The images of people suffering in the war-torn country shocked the two salmon farmers , who 'd visited there as teenagers and remembered the warmth of the Bosnian people . `` We began saying 'Would n't it be wonderful if we could just do one small thing to help ? ' `` MacFarlane-Barrow says . After talking it over , the two men took a week off work and collected food , clothing , medicine and blankets . They loaded everything into an old Land Rover , drove to Bosnia to deliver it and returned to Scotland . `` I came back here thinking that I did my one good deed and it would be back to work , but it [ did n't work ] out like that , `` he says . When they arrived home , the brothers found an avalanche of goods that people had continued to donate while they were away . `` I was touched by the overwhelming generosity of others , '' MacFarlane-Barrow remembers . `` I saw all of those donations in our family home and thought , 'Wow , people really are good , ' and it inspired me to be good too . '' After much thought and prayer , Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow quit his job , sold his home and dedicated himself to helping people in need . He returned to Bosnia with aid 22 more times during the Bosnian War , and over the next 18 years his work expanded and evolved . Today , his program -- Mary 's Meals , named after the Virgin Mary -- provides free daily meals to more than 400,000 children around the world . MacFarlane-Barrow found his current focus in 2002 while working in Malawi -- a country ravaged by famine and AIDS -- when he met a local teenager who just wanted a decent meal and an education . `` The mother of the family was dying of AIDS . She was lying on her bare mud floor , and she had her six children around her , `` he says . `` I started talking to her oldest child , Edward . And Edward said , ' I 'd like to have enough food to eat . I 'd like to go to school one day . ' `` In response , he launched Mary 's Meals , which strives to break the cycle of poverty by feeding children a daily meal at school . The food -- in most places a mug of maize-based porridge -- gives students an incentive to continue their schooling and helps them focus better on their studies . It 's a formula that MacFarlane-Barrow says is working . `` Pass rates go up dramatically in the schools where we start providing Mary 's Meals , '' he says . `` We 've seen huge improvements in attendance rates and academic performance . '' Mary 's Meals partners with local residents , who handle the daily work of cooking and serving the food . In Malawi -- the group 's largest effort -- more than 10,000 volunteers donate their time on a regular basis . The program operates in more than 500 schools and child-care facilities in 15 countries , a global effort that MacFarlane-Barrow coordinates from a tin shed on his parents ' property in Scotland . While the married father of six lives on the property , he spends most of his time abroad , overseeing the project and visiting the schools where meals are served . `` I see the children 's faces as they eat their meal , `` he says . `` Knowing I can transform their lives keeps me motivated . '' But there are always new challenges to overcome , most recently in Haiti , where Mary 's Meals has operated since 2006 . Working in partnership with a local Catholic priest , the group was feeding about 12,000 children a day when the earthquake hit in January . Much of the infrastructure the program relied on in the slums of Cite Soleil was destroyed , so the group 's mission expanded . They helped create temporary classrooms and are rebuilding eight schools in the area . In addition to their school-based feeding program , the group now feeds about 2,000 elderly Haitians and is providing additional food and medicine to the community . MacFarlane-Barrow is driven by his Christian faith , but there is no ministry aspect to his work . `` We are very careful to never link feeding and faith , '' he says . `` We serve those who are in need ... period . `` When I think of Mary 's Meals I think of it as a series of lots and lots of little acts of love , `` he says . `` I 've learned ... that every small act of kindness does make a difference . '' Want to get involved ? Check out the Mary 's Meals websites at www.marysmeals.org and www.marysmealsusa.org and see how to help .
Scotsman was at a pub in 1992 when he got the idea to help victims in war - torn areas . A trip to deliver food , clothing and shelter led to a life 's work of helping others . After working in Malawi in 1994 , Magnus MacFarlane - Smith founded Mary 's Meals . Today , the charity provides free meals to more than 400,000 children in 40 countries .