AS a little boy dreaming of football greatness, England and Manchester United striker Marcus Rashford’s hunger pangs were kept at bay by free school meals.
With his mum Melanie working all hours, Marcus relied on breakfast clubs, school lunches and after-school snacks as he developed into one of the nation’s most exciting footballing talents.
So when coronavirus began to wreak havoc — shutting schools and threatening jobs everywhere — the 22-year-old multi-millionaire didn’t forget his past.
Marcus — brought up on a tough estate in Manchester’s Wythenshawe — knew from experience that children from poorer backgrounds would be going hungry without their regular free school meals.
“I always said that if I was ever in a position to make a difference, then I would,” he insisted.
So he took to Instagram on March 19 and told his 8.4million followers how he was supporting a charity called FareShare, which distributes free food to children at schools, community centres and breakfast clubs.
‘PEOPLE ARE IN WORSE SITUATIONS THAN I WAS’
Marcus asked for donations and appealed to food companies to donate surplus products.
He added: “No child should have to worry where their next meal is coming from.”
Manchester United’s home-grown forward set a target of raising £100,000 which would provide meals for 400,000 youngsters.
He made sizeable donations himself — but underestimated how persuasive adding his star profile would be to the campaign.
Today FareShare has raised £20MILLION in cash and food and has the funding to feed almost three million kids a week across Britain, with Marcus hailing the “amazing” milestone in a post on Twitter yesterday.
Co-op and Tesco offered multi-million- pound food donations while Sainsbury’s and Asda contributed millions more in logistics support.
Individuals have raised £767,505 — enough to create three million meals for vulnerable children.
Alyson Walsh, FareShare’s commercial director, said: “We’ve been blown away by people’s kind words and donations, and can’t thank Marcus enough for shining a spotlight on our work.
“The money raised will help us get much good food on to the plates of vulnerable families.
This will do an enormous amount of good, not just during the crisis but also the aftermath, as sadly we expect many more families to be facing financial strain.”
Marcus has been in a relation-ship with Manchester- based PR exec Lucia Loi since 2016.
And while other footie aces have treated lockdown as a chance to party with friends, hold sex parties or brag online about their extraordinary riches, Marcus is different.
He said: “What we’re doing with these meals is just another example of the power of football and using your platform. Social media can be very positive.”
His support of FareShare has been recognised by the High Sheriff of Greater Manchester Eamonn O’Neal, who sent him a certificate for his “outstanding activity and contribution to the community”.
‘I KNOW THE PROBLEMS FOR REAL’
The United star — who has recovered from a back injury sustained in January after scoring 19 times in 31 games — added: “I know the problems for real.
“My mum worked all day every day when I was growing up to make sure I had at least one meal on the table every night.
“There was a breakfast club I could go to at school that was free. I used to have school meals and a snack in an after-school club.
“There were 30 to 40 kids in that, and it was all free, but that would be it until my mum came home.
“She’d finish work at about 6pm and have to get the bus home, so I wouldn’t see her until 7.30pm and then she’d start cooking straight away. It’s a long time.”
Marcus knows that if coronavirus had struck when he was a child then he would have faced going hungry.
The star — brother to Dwain, Dane and half-sister Tamara — added: “If this had happened ten or 15 years ago, it definitely would have affected myself as a kid in the position I was in.
“I just thought if there’s a way to help people and kids especially, let’s try and do it. There are people in worse situations than I was in as a kid.
“They’re not even getting that second meal at home, so it was something I wanted to help with.
“I was aware of the problem, but not how big it was.”
According to The Children’s Society, around 1.5million children qualify for free school meals in England while as many as 700,000 more live in poverty but do not have access to the schemes.
The Food Foundation says 200,000 children in Britain have missed meals during lockdown because their families “could not access food”.
Fans have praised Marcus’s efforts. One wrote on social media: “You should be proud of yourself, man. As a fan it’s good to see somebody so young doing so much for others.”
Another added: “People always remember those who stand for them in times of difficulty. Well done.”
The campaign is not Marcus’s only contribution to those less fortunate.
‘PEOPLE ARE HURTING’
Last year the star launched his In the Box campaign with Selfridges to provide Manchester’s homeless with essentials over Christmas.
Marcus and mum Melanie visited homeless shelters personally to hand out the boxes and sent gifts to the St Christopher’s Children’s Home in Caribbean island St Kitts where the Rashfords have roots.
This week he appeared on CBeebies’ Celebrity Supply Teacher TV slot, leading starstruck youngsters through an online workout.
He has also encouraged kids to read and learned sign language to judge a World Book Day poetry contest after a request from a fan in Year 7.
Marcus has also harnessed his celebrity to support the Black Lives Matter movement. He told his Instagram followers: “People are hurting and people need answers.
“Black lives matter, black culture matters, black communities matter. We matter.”
The Sun Sport
