by S. Rotan Hale
Virginia First Lady Dorothy McAuliffe stopped in Roanoke Thursday, Sept 28 to raise public awareness to an initiative known as Feed Virginia Day of Action.
The statewide effort held Friday, Oct. 29, focused on providing access to healthy food–a message that McAuliffe pushed during her visit to Westside Elementary School in northwest.
It was a day of excitement as students were extremely excited to have the First Lady actually sit in with them during lunch.
McAuliffe requested the visit after Roanoke City Public Schools won the Food for Thought Award in the Meal Access to Fight Hunger category.
“Westside Elementary is doing a great job in making sure children have access to breakfast,” she said. “Breakfast After the Bell, is a real statewide initiative to make sure all children have their best day at school everyday.”
McAuliffe took the opportunity to plug, among other menu items, local source apples, peppers and tomatoes as products from nearby Franklin County.
“Next week we’ll be talking about farm to schools all across the commonwealth of Virginia,” McAuliffe said. “This ensures children understand where their food comes from and have the opportunity to access fresh fruits and vegetables grown right here in the Commonwealth of Virginia.”
During a brief Q&A with local press representatives, McAuliffe spoke emphatically of the importance of linking with the “local farming community” as a pipeline for fresh produce.
She received a gift from the school presented to her by little Jaden Camden as she and her entourage left for the next stop on the tour.
Westside was her first engagement of the day on a campaign that later took her message to the statewide conference of Boys and Girls Clubs of America.
“That organization is doing a great job especially with those kids who need after school activities,” she added. “They have been great partners in our work.”
Over 1,000 schools participated in the project which is a spin-off of the original initiative. The First Lady has made food access in schools an issue of major concern for her. Several sources report that since 2014 Virginia schools have served 10 million more breakfasts than in previous years.
“We certainly appreciate the First Lady coming to Westside Elementary to eat with our students and learn more about what Roanoke City Schools is doing to make sure students have a balanced education that includes meeting the basic needs,” said Annette Lewis, an 8-year veteran of Roanoke City School Board.
“The First Lady has been very instrumental in making sure school districts across Virginia have the necessary provisions for students to excel, especially those who may not have the proper resources (food, etc.) at home,” she added.
