Marcus Rashford says he is "just at the beginning" of his fight to help support vulnerable children after being made an MBE.
The 2020 Queen's Birthday Honours list was due to be published in June, but was pushed back to enable nominations for people playing crucial roles during the first months of the crisis.
Manchester United forward Rashford, 22, launched a high-profile campaign which resulted in the Government changing policy over its free school meals vouchers during lockdown, helping ensure children in need did not go hungry during the summer break.
The England star has maintained his drive for social change since forming a child food poverty task force, which has linked up with some of the UK's biggest supermarkets and food brands.
Reflecting on his 'humbling' MBE, Rashford vowed to continue fighting to protect the most vulnerable children.
"It’s a nice moment for me personally but I feel like I’m still at the beginning of the journey that I set out to try and achieve, so I think what I would like to do now that I’m in this position is just speak directly to the Prime Minister and really ask for the vouchers to be extended until at least October half term because I think that’s what the families need.
"Speaking to them and knowing how much they’ve been helped and how much it’s going to affect them if they don’t have it, that’s got to be my main focus now to get that message across.”
Rashford's family help support the striker's campaign, and shared their pride at his MBE honour.
"We are all so proud of what he has done and everything he is doing for the community and himself," a family spokesman told the PA news agency.
"For us guys, we are going to continue to try to make a difference to as many families and lives as we can."
Rashford scored 22 goals in all competitions for Manchester United last season as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side finished third in the Premier League.
The striker has found the net twice in the new campaign.
United, though, have struggled for consistency and lost their last match before the international break 6-1 at home against Tottenham.
Rashford was an unused substitute as England beat Wales 3-0 in a friendly at Wembley on Thursday night, but could return to the team for the Nations League fixtures against Belgium and Denmark.
Additional reporting by PA
