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V
irginia
C
apitol
C
onnections
, W
inter
2016
4
e all know that man
does not live by bread
alone; neither do
women and children, for that
matter. But it’s a good place to
start.
Having fed her own children
for 25 years now (her oldest
is 25; her youngest is 13; and
there are five of them), Dorothy
McAuliffe has been acutely
aware of the importance of food,
good food choices, and its many effects on mind and body.
Her signature project, dating from her husband Terry
McAuliffe’s election as governor, has always been feeding
the hungry children of the Commonwealth of Virginia.
On the front lines of combating hunger, she is in search of
solutions, and she is finding them in many ways.
Mrs. McAuliffe has taken the lead in studying the
needs of Virginia families, advocating for funding, both
federal and statewide, and creating new ways to serve the
needs she has observed.
She is all business. Mrs. McAuliffe, quite possibly
one of the most private First Ladies in recent history, is the
first to set up office space in the Patrick Henry Building.
In her base of operations on the third floor, the office walls
are inspiring and relevant, with colorful vintage posters:
“Grow Your Own.” “Your Victory Garden.” “Food is
Ammunition.”
Another source of ammunition is her knowledge of
the history of the fight against hunger. When the nation
was coming out of The Great Depression, a World War,
experienced an unprecedented boom in babies, the U.S.
Department of Agriculture started the National School
Lunch Act, nicknamed “the milk program,” in 1946. Since
then, the Congressionally-funded program has provided
some funding for milk and other wholesome foods for
children who qualify.
•
51 % of U.S. public school children
qualify for free or reduced price
school lunches.
•
One in six Virginia children struggle with
hunger
•
Virginia received an $8.8 Million USDA
demonstration grant to end child hunger
•
The Governor’s budget included
$537,000 for Breakfast After the Bell
W
By Bonnie Atwood
First
Lady
V
irginia’s
on a
MissioN