Marcus Rashford Inspires Grassroots Food Program for Kids in the UK
Blown away by news of local businesses stepping up to fill the voucher scheme deficit during the October half term. Selflessness, kindness, togetherness, this is the England I know 🏴
Add #ENDCHILDFOODPOVERTY to your tweets so I can track them. I will share as many as I can ♥️
- Marcus Rashford MBE (@MarcusRashford) October 22, 2020
- Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford MBE has spent months campaigning against child food poverty in the UK by pressuring the government to fund free meals for low-income students during school holidays.
- He has cited his own experiences relying on free school meals, food programs and the kindness of others growing up as one of five children of a single mother.
- He achieved a big win this past June when the Prime Minister agreed to keep funding a meal voucher program over the summer after initially deciding to end it.
- Rashford, 22, was awarded an MBE earlier this month for services to vulnerable children in the UK during the coronavirus pandemic. (Note: What's an MBE? ← For the non-Brits.)
- He's continued to campaign on behalf of low-income children, frequently clashing with Tory MPs who insist "it's a parents job to feed their children" and accuse him and others of "virtue signaling" on Twitter.
- This week, the Labour Party motioned for the meal voucher program to be extended through Easter 2021, but the motion was struck down, 322 votes to 261.
- In the wake of the news, local businesses and councils throughout England have offered to provide free meals for students during the October holidays, which begin Monday.
- Marcus Rashford spent nearly 24 hours retweeting announcements from local businesses and councils before signing off. Twitter user @anjali_x created a Google Spreadsheet to attempt to keep all info in one place for ease of access.
Cafes and restaurants offer free meals for children in support of Marcus Rashford campaign https://t.co/Rc5ipz6hkz
- The Independent (@Independent) October 23, 2020
📍 pic.twitter.com/6VvpmUuW34
- Marcus Rashford MBE (@MarcusRashford) October 23, 2020
To the Twitter community, keep sharing these posts via #endchildfoodpoverty
Every child should be going to bed tonight feeling like they DO matter. Overwhelmed and thankful ♥️
- Marcus Rashford MBE (@MarcusRashford) October 23, 2020
A Bit of Backstory
Petition Requesting Expansion of Meal Program
[Tweets Under the Cut]
The ask 👇🏾https://t.co/xRTvLb5YVt pic.twitter.com/FXrY1WopZx
- Marcus Rashford MBE (@MarcusRashford) October 15, 2020
We won’t accept any less than these 3 asks.
This is a matter of urgency to stabilise the households of millions - unemployment, end of furlough, personal loss, illness...
200k signatures - the British people care. I would urge those in power to demonstrate that they do too... https://t.co/g4igHTifSS
- Marcus Rashford MBE (@MarcusRashford) October 16, 2020
I have a day job I’m preparing for so Twitter please do your thing:https://t.co/xRTvLb5YVt
Let’s prove to these 1.5million vulnerable children that being British is something to be proud of.
Appreciate you all ♥️ https://t.co/UsZdovvjUj
- Marcus Rashford MBE (@MarcusRashford) October 16, 2020
Comments Ahead of the Planned Vote
[Tweets Under the Cut]
Since March 32% of families have suffered a drop in income...
13.2% rise in unemployment expected...
We aren’t in the same position we were in in the Summer, it’s much worse. The number of children with little to no access to food has risen significantly.
- Marcus Rashford MBE (@MarcusRashford) October 21, 2020
Why keep punishing our most disadvantaged? Give our children a chance.
All eyes on the Commons 👀
And just for clarity, the #endchildfoodpoverty debate on a long-term sustainable framework to combat this issue is still to come.
This is not going away and neither am I...
- Marcus Rashford MBE (@MarcusRashford) October 21, 2020
Back & Forth with Tory MPs
[Tweets Under the Cut]
Gov has lots of responsibilities: supporting the vulnerable, helping people to help themselves, balancing the books. Not as simple as you to make out Marcus. Extending FSM to sch hols passes responsibility for feeding kids away from parents, to the State. It increases dependency. https://t.co/AGelqU78sz
- Ben Bradley MP (@BBradley_Mans) October 21, 2020
Ben, the economy already pays a high price for child hunger. If children were fed properly you would increase educational attainment and boost life chances. @KelloggsUKI calculated we would spend at least £5.2M a year on lost teaching hours as teachers are caring for hungry kids https://t.co/mZTI3YFYz7
- Marcus Rashford MBE (@MarcusRashford) October 21, 2020
Ben 1.5million children have little to no access to food resources due to the 2-child UC cap.
Nobody is pointing fingers, I’m asking we work together to protect our most vulnerable children dealing with the devastating effects of the pandemic. This is nothing to do with politics https://t.co/2omi3bHr1j
- Marcus Rashford MBE (@MarcusRashford) October 21, 2020
At least turn on your comments and let me respond Steve. I very much welcome conversation on this. https://t.co/ly329QWMOp
- Marcus Rashford MBE (@MarcusRashford) October 21, 2020
2018-19, it was recorded 9 out of 30 children in any given classroom were living in poverty in the UK. This was expected to rise by 1 million by 2022 prior to Covid hitting. This is not a Covid problem and these children haven’t been treated as a priority
- Marcus Rashford MBE (@MarcusRashford) October 21, 2020
Myself and the Task Force continue to invite those in power to collaborate, sit around the table and collectively understand how we can support our most vulnerable children. The invitation is consistently met with...silence...
- Marcus Rashford MBE (@MarcusRashford) October 21, 2020
I despair that we are using the topic of child food poverty to one-up each other... https://t.co/jAU8woTfDp
- Marcus Rashford MBE (@MarcusRashford) October 21, 2020
Reaction Following the Vote
[Tweets Under the Cut]
Time we worked together. pic.twitter.com/xFPsgBiPQC
- Marcus Rashford MBE (@MarcusRashford) October 21, 2020
Footballer @MarcusRashford has visited a new foodbank depot named after his mother, Melanie Maynard.
He gave #BBCBreakfast his reaction to the recent government rejection of his campaign for free school meals to be extended over the holidays in England.https://t.co/zDPLzQ7PDP pic.twitter.com/ByvNgk0Q6D
- BBC Breakfast (@BBCBreakfast) October 23, 2020
SOURCES: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18
Marcus, you're doing amazing sweetie.
