"A Child Who Is Hungry Cannot Be Hungry For Knowledge"

     “A child who is hungry cannot be hungry for knowledge”, said Virginia’s First Lady Dorothy McAuliffe to open Share Our Strength’s board of director’s meeting yesterday.  She spoke of “proof of how school breakfast is improving academic performance”, asserted that “food is as important as books, laptops and teachers”, and said “we intend to eliminate childhood hunger in Virginia, there’s just no other way to say it.”

            It was an inspiring start to a board meeting that reaffirmed our commitment to achieving our ambitious No Kid Hungry goals.  First Lady McAuliffe described the incredible commitment that the Governor’s office has made and they capacity they’ve built and most important of all, the results: more than 20,000 additional students receiving breakfast over the previous year.

            “This is an economic issue,” concluded the First Lady, “Creating a workforce pipeline means we must have children who are well educated. And a good education  system attracts businesses to our state.” 

            The Republican controlled state legislature agreed with her, doubling the amount of state funding available, to $2 million, to enact breakfast-after-the-bell alternatives so that all kids start their school day with a healthy meal. See @ http://www.nbc29.com/story/31539830/lawmakers-approve-increased-funding-for-va-school-nutrition-programs