Marcus Rashford slams meagre food packages, says children deserve better than this

Manchester United star Marcus Rashford is continuing to use his platform to raise awareness on the prevailing food poverty in the UK. The England international has long campaigned for free school meals to be dished out to vulnerable children during the coronavirus crisis. The 23-year-old forced a Government U-turn over vouchers during the summer holidays and was recently awarded an MBE for his efforts to eradicate food poverty after he raised £20million for FareShare. 

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Marcus Rashford campaign: Manchester United star slams food parcels as 'not good enough'

Marcus Rashford was fuming after he shared a picture of a food parcel meant to last for ten days sent to a family under the current government food voucher scheme. The 23-year-old's campaign ensured that families which were eligible for free school meals were entitled to £30 food vouchers, though some parents have now stated that they received food bundles instead that cost a fraction of the price. One mother took to Twitter to share her experience, claiming that instead of £30 worth of food, she only got a bundle worth £5.22 to last for ten days.

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Rashford almost immediately responded to her claims and claimed that the packages the families received were unacceptable. The Manchester United star said that "children deserve better than this..." before sharing another image of a family receiving meagre food packets, expected to last for ten days. Both the Department of Health and the Department of Education said they were looking into it, after claims of other small deliveries were made. The 23-year-old continued: 'Then imagine we expect the children to engage in learning from home. Not to mention the parents who, at times, have to teach them who probably haven't eaten at all so their children can... We MUST do better. This is 2021'.

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Marcus Rashford has raised £20 million for FareShare and has helped Manchester foodbanks while not on duty for Manchester United or England. Rashford's food poverty campaign has seen him receive many plaudits, with the 23-year-old being awarded with a unique 'Panel Special Award' during the BBC SPOTY ceremony. The Manchester United star also teamed up with Macmillan Children’s Books to provide children from deprived sections of society access to book-reading at a young age. Rashford's efforts also saw former Red Devils boss Sir Alex Ferguson team up with him to raise funds estimated up to 2 million GBP with his close friend and British philanthropist Sir Michael Moritz.

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(Image Courtesy: Marcus Rashford Instagram)