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Throughout this year—but especially this week—reasons to feel optimistic have been few and far between. Which only makes celebrating those little wins all the more important. Burberry’s festive campaign is the perfect example. Where in the past the British luxury behemoth has opted for the usual roster of glitzy holiday imagery full off supermodels, champagne and glitter—this year they’re switching things up, helping out those who need it most in the process.
Marcus Rashford, the celebrated 23-year-old Manchester United soccer player, has partnered with the brand on a charity initiative that will help reduce child hunger in the UK over the lockdown period and beyond. Rashford—who has been a vocal youth advocate since he emerged on the global scene at the age of 17—helped Burberry partner with six key charities in Britain and overseas, all of which focus on helping disadvantaged youth: Norbrook Youth Club and Woodhouse Park Lifestyle Centre in Rashford’s native Manchester, About Wide Rainbow in the United States, the global International Youth Foundation and the UK’s FairShare. The partnership with FareShare—a non-profit that fights hunger and tackles food waste—for example, will see deliver 200,000 meals delivered across the UK.
In an accompanying statement—a letter written to his 10-year-old self—Rashford discusses the impact that access to youth centres in his hometown of Manchester had on his upbringing.
“One day you will have a lot of things you never dreamt of owning, but never forget that stability and consistency are two of the most valuable things you will ever experience,” he wrote. “The youth centres that you visit today on a Monday, Wednesday and Friday, will prove to be central to all of the greatest gifts you receive in life – your friendships, your discipline, your respect, and compassion for others.”
With the UK going into a second lockdown today, travel restrictions reinstated and winter well and truly on the way—plus the ongoing row about which children are entitled to the British government’s free school meals program—knowing 200,000 children will be provided with food over the winter is a welcome sliver of sunshine.
