MANCHESTER UNITED will provide 5,000 meals for vulnerable children over the October half-term holidays, the club have announced.

A partnership between the club, the Manchester United Foundation and the charity FareShare means meals will be prepared in the Old Trafford kitchens and delivered to six local schools which partner with the foundation.

The meals will be for children who receive government-funded school meals during term time.

It comes at a time when the government is finding itself under attack and under pressure to reverse its decision not to provide free school meals over the holiday in England. United striker Marcus Rashford has led a campaign to extend the free meals provision and was instrumental in forcing the government to make a U-turn on a decision to to halt free meal vouchers during the summer holidays.

“Since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, more and more families are dealing with food poverty,” a statement from the club read.

“The impact of the virus has exacerbated an existing problem and, with unemployment rising and the economic crisis biting hard, many are struggling with reduced income.

“As a result, many families and children simply do not have enough food and are going hungry. This initiative does not solve the issue locally, but will make a significant difference to the lives of hundreds of families across Greater Manchester.”

John Shiels, the chief executive of the Manchester United Foundation, said: “We’re incredibly proud and humbled to be working with FareShare over October half-term. This initiative will go a long way to ensuring that pupils from our partner schools and families using local food-banks have fresh meals to eat, during what we know is a difficult time for many.

“We’ve seen first-hand how children from socially challenged backgrounds can be even more vulnerable when they’re not in school, it’s therefore imperative to be present in their lives throughout the school holidays, showing that we care and the Foundation is always here to support.”