Senior Living OCTOBER 22015 Senior Inside Living Mount Vernon’s Hometown Newspaper • A Connection Newspaper October 8, 2015 w Lwowc.Cao ln Mneect diioan Ne Cownsnpap ecertsi.co onm LLC o nliMnoun e at Ver wwnown G .coazett nne c ❖ S t ioennior neLwivsing pa pFeall rs2.c015 om ❖ 1 Woodley Hills Food 4 Thought Fighting Hunger Firsthand helps families with food insecurity. By Tim Peterson The Gazette ina Koch and Sara Boehm of the Mount D Vernon area of Alex- andria want to teach children when they see a problem, they should step in, reach out and fix it. “There are times when we feel like it’s a lot of effort, just doing a little piece of it,” Koch said, “but that’s how things get changed.” Koch and Boehm organize Food 4 Thought at Woodley Hills El- ementary School, a program in partnership with Our Daily Bread and Fairfax County Public Schools to address some of the food needs Charlotte Koch (left) and of students who don’t receive the Karen Clark (right) help same free and reduced meals over organize food for packing the weekend that they do during at Woodley Hills Elemen- the week at school. tary School. At Woodley Hills, more than 72 percent of the student population Food 4 Thought volunteers at the Woodley Hills Elementary School community packing qualified for free or reduced meals night included (back row from left) Barb Baker, Linda Gower, Karen Clark, Sara Boehm, Photos in the 2014-2015 school year ac- Emily Boehm, Emily Wild, Henry Wild, Alicia Brooks, Jennifer Forsythe, Emma Forsythe, courtesy of cording to the Fairfax County Pub- (front row from left) Jack Boehm, Matthew Boehm, Dina Koch, Charlotte Koch and Sara Boehm lic Schools profile, up from 69 per- Aidan Koch. cent the previous school year. “Our four children are going to events and soliciting support from program manager for Our Daily ued, “we would support them, are hungry students coming to school with people who are hun- their own community. Bread, explained their program having them be self-sufficient your school, people really want to gry, who need food,” said Koch. The name “Food 4 Thought” began when a social worker from within their school.” help, you just have to tell them “We never knew it was a problem. came to the women as a possible Marshall Road Elementary School Our Daily bread how.” To be able to do something about moniker for starting a non-profit came to them six years ago. She partnered with hu- Koch and Boehm it, with my kids seeing that, feels to formalize this work. When they told them about “teachers with man services char- “It is very are well on the way great.” looked to see if it was taken, they children on Mondays that were ity Food For Others to a $12,000 In January, 2015, Koch and discovered a program by the same hungry, lethargic, not ready to be and obtained a powerful to be fundraising goal, Boehm, an assistant librarian at name run by Our Daily Bread, an school,” said Garris. “She just felt grant from Fairfax which Koch said is Woodley Hills, noticed there was emergency food and financial as- pretty desperate. County to go into able to place the estimated cost a real need for more long-term sistance provider in Fairfax. Thier “We decided as an organization, half a dozen el- for providing 50 support for students at the school Food4Thought was already work- our part would be helping them ementary schools these food packs of food for whose families are struggling, out ing with several Fairfax County understand how to coordinate and work with so- every week of work, or qualify as homeless. elementary schools to achieve the their PTA, getting approval from cial workers to packs right into throughout the They began looking for organiza- same goals Koch and Boehm had. the principal, social worker and identify students in the hands of school year. Most tions to sponsor food packing Chris Garris, the Food Bridge school counselor,” Garris contin- need. of it has come from “Woodley Hills the child who friends and neigh- was a little con- bors in their 150- cerned because of needs them.” home neighbor- the amount of their — Sara Boehm hood, including Shooting Death Under Investigation need,” Garris said. relatives donating community member reported hearing a The only suspect information at this time is that “We always tell from across the gunshot and a man lying in the road two men were seen running from the area after them, start small, see what you can country. A handle. They’ve been surprised, around 3 a.m. on Sunday morning, Oct. 4, the gunshot was heard. See Hunger, Page 9 Fairfax County Police said. Police are asking anyone with information that how you put it out there that there When police responded to the report on the 7100 could help Homicide and Crime Scene detectives block of Groveton Gardens Road in the Hybla Val- in their investigation to contact Crime Solvers ley area, they found the man to have a gunshot through www.fairfaxcrimesolvers.org, by texting 10/9/15 Requested in home in Requested wound in his upper body. He was pronounced dead “TIP187” plus a message to CRIMES(274637) or material. after being transported to a local hospital. by calling 1-866-411-TIPS(8477), or Fairfax Time-sensitive The victim has been identified as 34-year-old, County Police at 703-691-2131. Postmaster: Jose Anibar Cisneros, of the 7200 block of Harrison Attention Permit #482 Permit Lane. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner VA Alexandria, PAID will determine official cause and manner of death. — Tim Peterson Postage U.S. PRSRT STD PRSRT www.ConnectionNewspapers.com Mount Vernon Gazette ❖ October 8-14, 2015 ❖ 1 2 ❖ Mount Vernon Gazette ❖ October 8-14, 2015 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com Mount Vernon Gazette Editor Steven Mauren News 703-778-9415 or [email protected] MVCCA Honors Retiring Elected Officials Recognizing 85 years of public service. By Gerald A. Fill/The Gazette Photo By Gerald A. Fill The Gazette he Mount Vernon Council of Citi- zens Associations (MVCCA) hon- Tored retiring elected officials U.S. Rep. Jim Moran (D-8), state Sen. Linda “Toddy” Puller (D-36) and MVCCA Photos Mount Vernon District Supervisor Gerald Hyland on Sept. 23. The three cumulatively served for ap- proximately 85 years in elected office: Moran for 35 years, Hyland for 28 years and Representing 50 years of elected public service to Puller for 22 years. They were thanked for- In foreground, from left: Former U.S. Rep. Jim Moran, the Mount Vernon District: Linda “Toddy” Puller mally by the MVCCA and presented with Supervisor Gerry Hyland and state Sen. Linda with 22 years as state delegate and senator and gifts for their years of dedicated public ser- “Toddy” Puller. Supervisor Gerry Hyland with 28 years. vice. “The Mount Vernon Council of Citizens The MVCCA presented Moran with a book without a siren or flashing light while re- widening the Richmond Highway and Associations is honoring three very special entitled, “Acts Passed by the Congress of the sponding to an emergency call. Puller also bringing mass transit to the area; provid- people this evening. These individuals have U.S., 1789” which describes the legislation “supported efforts by the MVCCA to waive ing the leadership to keep Inova Mount championed the health and welfare of the passed during George Washington’s first the fees and costs of very expensive trans- Vernon Hospital open and prevented it from Mount Vernon District for many many years. term as President of the United States. portation analysis studies that enabled the being moved from its present location; sup- Their accomplishments have been too nu- Puller served 22 years as 44th District state MVCCA to move forward to change the porting the expansion of affordable hous- merous to recite so I’m going to highlight delegate and 36th District state senator Comprehensive Plan to meet our vision for ing at North Hill; leading the successful ef- just a few for each one of them,” said representing the Mount a revitalized Richmond Highway. She also fort to authorize a bond referendum to pay Katherine Ward, co-chair of the council. Vernon area. She was successfully sponsored efforts in the Gen- for flood mitigation of the Huntington Ellen Young also collaborated praised for “the enact- eral Assembly to secure the funds to deter- neighborhood which has been heavily im- to plan the event in be- ment of legislation mine what kind of mass transit improve- pacted by floods in recent years; support- half of the MVCCA. which will lead to a ments should be implemented for Rich- ing the creation of an arts center, the de- Moran was cited for Constitutional mond Highway.” velopment of new communities and the cre- his 35 years of dedicated Amendment to au- In recognition of her years of dedicated ation of two new public schools after Lorton public service as a mem- thorize tax exemp- service, the MVCCA presented Puller with Prison was closed; supporting the closing ber of the Alexandria City tion status for a book entitled, “The Mount Vernon Ladies of the Lorton Landfill; establishing an an- Council, Mayor of Alexan- spouses of our military Association-150 Years of Restoring the nual Town Hall Meeting and Bus Tour as a dria, and Eighth District killed in combat … passage of leg- Home of George Washington.” standard for reaching out and listening to U.S. congressman. He islation better known as ‘Ashley’s law’ re- Hyland’s record of 28 years of public ser- his constituents; and regularly consulting “worked tirelessly to ensure Rich- quiring emergency and first responder ve- vice was highlighted or “we would be here with the MVCCA prior to taking a position mond Highway improvements were funded hicles to use flashing lights and sirens when all night if all his accomplishments were on the many policy issues coming before adequately to reduce traffic congestion operating in the line of duty.” This law was listed.” He was praised for supporting the the Board of Supervisors for a decision.