Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford spent the last week on a very public campaign to keep a free school meal program going over the summer, and it appears he’s scored a major victory.
The UK government at first announced that a voucher program which provides free meals for low-income students would conclude, as normal, at the end of the school year. (The program has kept up during the coronavirus pandemic, even though schools are closed.)
Rashford wrote an open letter on Sunday pleading with politicians to keep the program open during the summer, citing the fact that many parents have lost jobs due to the pandemic.
“This is not about politics; this is about humanity,” Rashford wrote. “Looking at ourselves in the mirror and feeling like we did everything we could to protect those who can’t, for whatever reason or circumstance, protect themselves. Political affiliations aside, can we not all agree that no child should be going to bed hungry?”
On Tuesday, the government said it was reversing its previous decision, and would provide £120 million in funding to keep the program going over the summer.
Rashford was delighted:
I don’t even know what to say.
Just look at what we can do when we come together, THIS is England in 2020.— Marcus Rashford (@MarcusRashford) June 16, 2020
It’s a major win for the 22-year-old Manchester United star, and should show other athletes how to use their platforms to make major changes.
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