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Sports News of Monday, 15 June 2020

Source: www.mynigeria.com

Don't cancel food voucher scheme, Rashford pleads with UK government

Marcus Rashford Marcus Rashford

Manchester United striker, Marcus Rashford has urged the British Government not to go ahead with the plan to cancel the food voucher scheme.

In an open letter to the government, Rashford who also relied on free school meals and food banks growing up, and calls on ministers to "find your humanity" and "make the U-turn".

The national voucher system was introduced in March to help low-income families feed their children when schools were closed under lockdown measures during the coronavirus pandemic.

Vouchers worth £15 a week are eligible for the families of about 1.3 million children in England who are on free school meals, but the government announced earlier this month that the scheme would not run during the summer holiday period.

Rashford has been working with FareShare during the coronavirus lockdown, and the 22-year-old has already helped raise more than £20m for the charity, pledging to "keep fighting" to tackle the issue of child hunger "until no child in the UK has to worry about where their next meal is coming from".

The England international, in his letter, said, "I encourage you to hear their pleas and find your humanity. Please reconsider your decision to cancel the food voucher scheme over the summer holiday period and guarantee the extension."

Read the full letter here:



Sky News reports that around five million people in households with children have struggled to put food on the table each day during the coronavirus crisis, while a third of children on free school meals did not have adequate alternative options, according to Food Foundation estimates.