Leeds United squad pledge £25k to help hungry children

'We stand with you MarcusRashford.'

Leeds United players have pledged £25,000 to support hungry children, with captain Liam Cooper vowing they will stand with Marcus Rashford in his attempts to help vulnerable children living in poverty. The Manchester United forward had expressed his disappointment on Wednesday night after MPs voted against Labour's bid to extend the free school meals initiative into the school holidays. Since then, he has spoken of his pride at the community response - with countless businesses and local authorities offering to provide food for those entitled to free school meals. Leeds City Council are one of the authorities to step forward, joining forces with several businesses in the city to help provide food for those in need throughout the half-term week. Quote tweeting an article detailing their efforts, Cooper confirmed the Leeds players' involvement: 'Let's do this Leeds!' Cooper tweeted. 'No children should ever go hungry. £25k guaranteed from the @lufc squad. We stand with you @MarcusRashford'. https://twitter.com/LiamCooper__/status/1319963674128355329 Having helped out at a Manchester food bank on Friday, Rashford said he has been overwhelmed by the community support, particularly with many of  them struggling with the financial impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic. News of Wednesday's Commons vote has been greeted with widespread public outcry, with a petition created which calls for an end to the subsidisation of meals for members of parliament. The petition has already attracted more than half a million signatures.