Marcus Rashford has forced a major u-turn from British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, as the most vulnerable children in England will now receive free school meals throughout the summer months.
[ MORE: New PL TV schedule ]
The Man United and England forward had campaigned tirelessly throughout the coronavirus pandemic to make sure that kids across England who were eligible for free school meals were getting enough food as he raised funds and was donating his own money to supply millions of meals for children.
Initially his plea to the government for help on providing free school meals for over 1.3 million vulnerable children this summer months was rejected but Johnson made a massive about-turn and free school meals will be issued throughout the summer months at a cost of over $151 million for the government.
The summer program is being called the ‘Covid Summer Food Fund’ and will provide $19 per week for each child in England who needs the free school meals program.
“Owing to the corona pandemic, the PM fully understands that children and parents face an entirely unprecedented situation over the summer,” a spokesman for Boris Johnson said.
Rashford responded to the news by saying: “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 has been lauded on social media for his campaign to help provide free school meals and was honored by the High Sheriff of Greater Manchester last month.
.@marcusrashford's campaign to ensure that 1.3 million schoolchildren in the UK will get meals over the summer has been successful 🙌 pic.twitter.com/NCN6YvUF7s
— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) June 16, 2020
Shadow education secretary Rebecca Long-Bailey thanked Rashford for his help in making it a reality.
“It is thanks to the amazing work of Marcus Rashford and campaigners that the government has had no choice but to reverse their decision. The government must now confirm that this new money will be for the direct provision of free school meals to all eligible children.”
The 22-year-old striker doubled his donations in late April while revealing that he was once in the same shoes as those kids, and that he would have gone hungry many times had he not had access to such programs.
While the UK government had been providing free school lunches to kids during the coronavirus pandemic, it did plan to do so during the summer.
Then Rashford stepped in and further cemented his status as a thoroughly nice bloke.
