When Mayors Lead: How Local Action Is Fighting Childhood Hunger
Billy Shore speaks with Mayor Daniel Rickenmann of Columbia, South Carolina, Mayor Alyia Gaskins of Alexandria, Virginia–the chair and vice-chair...
About This Episode
Billy Shore speaks with Mayor Daniel Rickenmann of Columbia, South Carolina, Mayor Alyia Gaskins of Alexandria, Virginia--the chair and vice-chair respectively of Share Our Strength's Mayor's Alliance--and Aaron Goldstein of Share Our Strength about how local leaders are using practical, bipartisan solutions to fight childhood hunger. The conversation explores why mayors are so effective at solving problems close to home, how housing, transportation, and economic insecurity affect food access, and why local innovation often moves faster than state or federal policy. Mayor Rickenmann shares how Columbia is using partnerships, technology, churches, and community organizations to expand food access, while Mayor Gaskins discusses Alexandria’s focus on housing, workforce issues, and the lived reality of hunger in the community. Together, they show how mayors can turn concern into action and build coalitions that make it easier for families to get the support they need.Resources and Mentions:
Daniel Rickenmann
Mayor
Daniel Rickenmann is the mayor of Columbia, South Carolina, and chair of Share Our Strength’s Mayors Alliance to End Childhood Hunger. Before becoming mayor, he built a career in the restaurant and hospitality industry, which shaped his practical, community-centered approach to public service. His work in office has emphasized housing, small business growth, local partnerships, and food access for families across Columbia.
Alyia Gaskins
Mayor
Mayor Alyia Gaskins-- Vice-Chair of The Mayors Alliance to End Childhood Hunger--is the first African-American woman to serve as mayor of Alexandria, Virginia. Her background includes public health, urban planning, and hunger policy, and her leadership has focused on housing, early care and education, workforce issues, and community well-being. She brings a deeply personal perspective to hunger policy, rooted in her own family’s struggles with food insecurity and access to health care.
Mayor’s Alliance to End Childhood Hunger
The Mayors Alliance to End Childhood Hunger will tap the individual and collective leadership of Mayors to take meaningful actions to end childhood hunger in cities nationwide.
We are building a strong, nonpartisan cohort of national Mayoral champions for ending child hunger. We will harness the collective voice of Mayors to drive change at the state and national level.
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