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Mrs. McAuliffe also works with the Boys and Girls Clubs, the

YMCA, and faith-based organizations. Her travels cover the state.

“Agriculture is our number one private industry,” said Mrs.

McAuliffe, since the defense industry is not private. She does, however,

also work with military-connected children, such as those who are just

now moving to Virginia and need food services.

One useful tool to move these ambitious projects forward is her

belief in “dedicated service.” She encourages young people to devote

a year or two to the Peace Corps or Americorps. She said not only

does it build resumes, it promotes good citizenship and helps meet the

challenges that she addresses. “Dedicated service gives you higher and

more tangible skills,” she said.

Her vision is to make life better for children, the elderly, and the

working poor. She shares her husband’s view of the “new Virginia

economy,” and a workforce that is skilled and diversified to bring all

of these goals together.

Bonnie Atwood, a freelance writer with Tall Poppies Freelance

Writing LLC, is the winner of 30 national and state writing awards,

and represents legislative clients with David Bailey Associates. She

can be reached at

BonAtwood@verizon.net .

Mrs. McAuliffe speaks highly of another national campaign that

she works with: Share Our Strength. The program started in 1984

when Billy and Debbie Shore, a brother and sister, were moved by the

Ethiopian famine. Their slogan is “No Kid Hungry.” That pretty much

sums up Mrs. McAuliffe’s philosophy, too, and she leverages these

connections to achieve that goal.

The Commonwealth has a lot of need, said Mrs. McAuliffe. It is

not evenly spread throughout the state. Southwest Virginia makes up a

“rural horseshoe,” which does not fare as wall as the “golden crescent,”

stretching from Tidewater to Northern Virginia.

“One is one too many,” said Mrs. McAuliffe.

Sometimes solutions which at first sound obvious, need some

creativity, she said. Take breakfast for example. Half of our children are

eligible for free school breakfasts, but many do not show up for them.

“There are a myriad of reasons,” she said. One clear reason is

transportation. School starts notoriously early, and for some children,

it is impossible to get to school even earlier. For that reason, Mrs.

McAuliffe is promoting “Breakfast After the Bell.” It’s a concept that

allows for the availability of breakfast even after the official start of the

school day. The program helps “shift the model,” she said.

She has raised awareness of the need for good meals for children.

When a grant was offered, 550

schools applied. The grant money was

awarded to 245 public schools. People

are realizing that in the fight against

hunger, just a little bit of money goes

a long way.

It is not only the fact of providing

food that Mrs. McAuliffe advocates

for. It is also the quality of the food.

The fresher, the better, and there

are many ways that she says that

communities can work on that. One

is the “Farm to School” program