Dorothy McAuliffe received the No Kid Hungry Hero Award during the organization’s 2017 Hero Dinner on June 8. The First Lady was recognized by Share Our Strength and former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack, for her work to end childhood hunger and improve access to nutritious meals across Virginia. As Chair of the Commonwealth Council on Bridging the Nutritional Divide, the First Lady has brought together stakeholders from diverse sectors of the food system. In 2015, she successfully advocated for $2.5 million in new state funding to help schools adopt breakfast after the bell programs proven to expand food access and increase academic performance. Since partnering with No Kid Hungry, Mrs. McAuliffe has led efforts to transition more than 700 schools to an alternative breakfast model, increasing the number of meals served per year by over 10 million.
-Submitted by Sam Coleman