Marcus Rashford raises funds for free school meals for vulnerable kids

Apr 03, 2020 06:00 am

Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford has raised over £100,000 (S$177,000) to ensure vulnerable children, who rely on free school meals every day, are still fed now that schools are closed due to the coronavirus lockdown.

Rashford, who said he depended on free meals as a child, issued a rallying cry and asked people to donate, working with charity organisation FareShare that distributes food to schools and community centres in the United Kingdom.

Rashford's initial goal of £100,000, which would serve 400,000 children, was quickly surpassed after people responded positively to the 22-year-old's appeals on his social media channels.

"There are people in worse situations than I was in as a kid," he told The Times. "They're not even getting that second meal at home, so it's something I wanted to help with.

"The number of people not being fed is ridiculous. It was close to one million children who were helped every week by FareShare. When I saw the numbers, it was quite shocking."

United and rivals City last month joined forces to donate £100,000 to food banks to help compensate for the loss of food donations the clubs usually provide on match days. - REUTERS