London, June 16 (IANS) Marcus Rashford’s campaign bore fruit on Tuesday as his efforts ensured around 1.3 million children will get free school meal vouchers during the holidays.
According to a BBC report, the 22-year old Manchester United forward drew praise from even British Prime Minister Boris Johnson who lauded his “contribution to the debate around poverty”.
“I don’t even know what to say. Just look at what we can do when we come together, THIS is England in 2020,” Rashford said in a tweet from his Twitter handle.
All children eligible for free school meals in term time in England will benefit from the “Covid summer food fund”, Downing Street said as per the BBC report.
Rashford had stepped up his campaign for the government to fund free meals for needy children through the summer school lockdown.
He has already raised awareness and funds for those families who are “existing on a knife’s edge” and struggling to feed their children.
He has raised about £20m to supply three million meals to vulnerable people while working with charity FareShare UK during the coronavirus lockdown.
On Monday, Rashford wrote in a letter to the government posted on Twitter: “As a family, we relied on breakfast clubs, free school meals and the kind actions of neighbours and coaches.
“Food banks and soup kitchens were not alien to us; I recall very clearly our visits to Northern Moor to collect our Christmas dinners every year.”
“What families are going through now, I’ve once had to go through that — and it’s very difficult to find a way out. It’s very important for me to help people who are struggling. Whether the outcome changes or doesn’t change — that’s why I wrote it.”
“My mum worked full-time, earning the minimum wage, to make sure we always had a good evening meal on the table, but it was not enough,” Rashford wrote in the letter.
“The system was not built for families like mine to succeed, regardless of how hard my mum worked.”
–IANS
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