MARCUS Rashford says he was inspired to feed starving children during lockdown by his mother’s nightly tears as she battled to support her family.

The Manchester United and England striker stated that his mother never received assistance, which “drives him” to help support other families.

The 22-year-old demands that the government put kids first. He presently earns £200,000 a week and has a $1.85 million property in Cheshire.

Last month, the football player sent a heartfelt letter detailing his upbringing and recounting how he watched his mother cry herself to sleep over concerns about providing for her family.

Marcus previously made a donation to a £20 million fundraising campaign that fed 3.9 million hungry children when they were under lockdown.

Now, in an effort to help an extra 1.5 million children, he is advocating for the expansion of free school lunches to cover all children from households receiving Universal Credit.

He is urging ministers on reforms after forming a task force on child poverty with major retailers.

Marcus claims that the families are very grateful for what he has done.

He stated, “They’re just very happy really and grateful,” to Piers Morgan and Susanna Reid on Good Morning Britain.

They frequently express to me their happiness and gratitude for me.

They said things like, ‘I don’t realize how much it’s helped them,’ which is kind of true because my mother never got help like that when I was a kid. I was uncertain of their words because I didn’t know how they would respond.

Everything went well, and that is what drives me to try my hardest to help them.

‘ASK FOR HELP’

The athlete was questioned about his disagreement on Twitter with a Conservative Member of Parliament who asserted that “parents’ responsibility to feed their children.”

Marcus had stated that the legislator should confer with families prior to posting because he believed that all parents “felt the responsibility to feed their children.”

On Good Morning Britain, Marcus said, “For me, it’s all about the stigma of asking for help.”

It’s important to ask for assistance when needed and when the person who can provide it is in a position to do so, as I was taught.

“I just wanted to make sure that was clear in my answer,”

In his open letter, he wrote about his childhood in Manchester, saying, “I remember my mother crying herself to sleep, even now, after working a fourteen-hour shift, not knowing how she was going to make ends meet.That was my reality, but luckily I could kick the ball around to pull the rest of us out of it. Many are not helped in finding that answer, and many are unable to find it at all.

“My intention is to provide a platform for those who are willing to speak up, and for those who aren’t, I will remain their voice and advocate on their behalf. Those who are most vulnerable don’t have a voice to cry out for help.”