Staunton City Schools receives McAuliffe School Nutrition Award

Staunton City Schools was one of 15 school divisions across the state that received the Dorothy S. McAuliffe School Nutrition Award presented by No Kid Hungry Virginia.

This is the second year Staunton City Schools has received the award.

The Dorothy S. McAuliffe School Nutrition Award celebrates Virginia school divisions that have gone above and beyond by operating all available federal child nutrition programs and achieving exceptional participation in the school breakfast program. Originally launched in 2017, the award is named in honor of former First Lady of Virginia Dorothy McAuliffe, in recognition of her efforts to end childhood hunger in the Commonwealth.

“We are pleased to receive this award in recognition of our ongoing efforts to remove hunger as a barrier to student learning,” said Dr. Garett Smith, Superintendent. “Our school nutrition department continues to seek out ways to expand meal offerings for students and increase participation in eligible meal service programs.”

To qualify for the award, school divisions met the following criteria:  School Breakfast: At least 70% of students who qualify for free/reduced meals and eat school lunch are also eating school breakfast.  Afterschool Meals: Division is sponsoring and serving meals/snacks through the At-Risk Afterschool Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), if eligible.  Summer Meals: Division is sponsoring and serving summer meals through the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) or National School Lunch Program (NSLP) Seamless Summer Option (SSO), if eligible.

No Kid Hungry Virginia partners with schools and districts to connect eligible kids to federal nutrition programs. Programs like Breakfast After the Bell, afterschool meals and summer meals help feed kids throughout the school day and in the summertime.

The nonprofit shares best practices via webinars and educational events, along with expanding access to meal programs through grants. Visit va.nokidhungry.org for more information about No Kid Hungry Virginia’s work.