‘No child should go hungry’ is the motto of a new initiative by Man. United Marcus Rashford, aimed to provide free meals for children over the winter holidays
As the campaign gains momentum, Arsenal Muslim midfielder Mesut Özil led the distribution of 1,400 meals to schools across north London every day this week.
Özil teamed up with German chef Stefan Pappert at the start of the pandemic to provide healthy meals to families living in poverty, homeless shelters and charities that support refugees.
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Yet, this week, their efforts were mainly focused on distributing thousands of meals to families across Brent, Burnt Oak and Edgware – in some of north London’s most deprived communities.
“During the half-term, lots of kids are facing a tough situation with regards to food,” he said, Sky News reported.
“No child should go hungry. That’s the most important thing and wherever I can help I will.”
Özil added that healthy meals should be given to every child.
“There’s a real emphasis on making sure the food is healthy, nutritious and also filling. So we’re using the finest organic pasta which my friend Alberto Franceschi sent from Italy,” Ozil said. “Healthy meals for children should be a given, and not a privilege.”
Ozil is not the only Muslim to participate in Rashford initiative.
Last week, the Central Oxford Mosque worked to provide hundreds of free meals from Monday to Friday. They also announced a similar plan during the school holidays in December.
Generous Özil
Earlier this year, Özil also made a generous £80,000 donation to a Turkish charity to help Muslims during Ramadan.
Özil has been incredibly generous with his charity work and is an ambassador for the Rays of Sunshine charity.
Özil has also been a huge supporter of the charity BigShoe, who work with German and Swiss doctors to provide life-changing surgeries to kids who need it.
The German international celebrated marriage by paying for 1,000 children to have life-changing surgery.
In May 2018, Özil spent £30,000 on a special-edition “Invincibles” Rolex watch during Arsenal’s annual charity fundraising ball, to support different charity causes.