Manchester United striker Marcus Rashford has been commended by fans for ensuring the 1 million children who rely on free school meals will not go without food.
Rashford has teamed up with food redistribution charity FareShare to make sure young children will be fed following Prime Minister Boris Johnson‘s decision to shut down schools in a bid to combat the coronavirus pandemic.
The United superstar took to social media to inform his 2.4million followers that he is working with organisations to help fill the deficit and appealed to people for donations.
In a post on Twitter, Rashford wrote: ‘Guys, across the UK there are over 32,000 schools. Tomorrow all of these will close.
‘Many of the children attending these schools rely on free meals, so I’ve spent the last few days talking to organisations to understand how this deficit is going to be filled.
‘I wanted to understand the scale of the problem and how we can reach vulnerable children. It’s not just schools. It’s community centres, breakfast clubs, etc that provide the only meal many kids get each day.
Schools will be shut due to coronavirus leaving 1 million kids unable to claim their free meals
Rashford has teamed up with food redistribution charity FareShare to ensure those kids are fed
‘No child should have to worry where their next meal is coming from. FareShareUK distributes food to 11,000 different organisations across the UK reaching almost 1million people in need a week.
‘Today, I am partnering with them to rework how food is distributed during the closure, with the aim that no child is missed. To anyone reading who can spare a few £’s, you could make a big difference, supporting cost of delivery vans, warehouse storage and other logistics.
‘Just £5 helps @FareShareUK provide 20 meals for kids off school. And to the food industry, we know it’s a challenging time, but we ask you to please send any product you can to @FareShareUK to support their efforts during the closure.
‘Thanks to all the companies already involved. I appreciate you all, stay safe!’
Fans were quick to sing Rashford’s praises on social media for his goodwill gesture.
‘How can anyone dislike Marcus Rashford?! Always doing his bit to help people in need. A great role model at such a young age,’ one person wrote on Twitter.
‘Marcus Rashford really is an inspirational role model on and off the pitch for a lot of people. Keep doing what you’re doing and making a difference,’ another user added.
United No 2 Mike Phelan also applauded the England international’s work, writing: ‘Excellent from Marcus Rashford. Please take the time to read and consider.’
The 22-year-old also promised to sign a young United fan’s shirt once ‘everything was up and back running.’
The Premier League has been postponed until at least April 30.
