As part of an ongoing effort to improve food access in Virginia, volunteers across the state participated in more than 80 events Friday. To celebrate, Virginia’s Governor and First Lady hosted a pop up farmer’s market at the state capitol.
Declaring it a day of action, the Governor thanked state employees in Richmond for coming out and supporting Virginia’s farmers.
But the effort also expanded beyond Richmond. Volunteers from Roanoke to Newport News served breakfasts, packed produce, and raised money for local food banks.
Virginia’s First Lady Dorothy McAuliffe says such events help raise public awareness.
“Everybody can do a little bit of something, whether it’s funding some of these great nonprofits who are doing the work, or supporting businesses who are entrepreneurial and thinking about food access and working in food desserts,” she said.
Increasing food access in schools has been a personal initiative of the First Lady’s. Over the past three years schools in Virginia have served 10 million more breakfasts than they used to.
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.