Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff Hosts Bipartisan Charity Breakfast for Senate Spouses: 'Really Meaningful to Me'

White House Photographer Cameron Smith From left to right, Mrs. Kimberley Thune, Mrs. Sandy Cornyn, Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff, and Mrs. Franki Roberts (husband is former Senator Pat Roberts) converse at the Senate Spouse Breakfast.

Six years after coming to Washington, D.C. as a Senate spouse, second gentleman Doug Emhoff hosted his fist event as president of the Senate Spouse Organization Tuesday, joining spouses of both Democrat and Republican lawmakers for breakfast at the vice president's residence and to participate in a charity event, packing bags of meals for students and families in needs.

"This is really meaningful to me," Emhoff said in remarks delivered Tuesday in honor of the first event he's hosted as head of the group.

"I value the luncheons that we had, the relationships that we built," Emhoff added. "Completely nonpartisan … And how these relationships have nothing to do with politics, they have to do with family, our country, and that we care about people. And that really shows in this group."

RELATED: Kamala Harris' Husband Doug Emhoff to Join Faculty at Georgetown Law — 'I've Long Wanted to Teach'

White House Photographer Cameron Smith Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff delivers remarks at the Senate Spouse Breakfast at the Vice President’s Residence.

Elsewhere in his remarks, Emhoff said he "couldn't be prouder to have become the first second gentleman," but was "equally as proud to have been a Senate spouse."

"And as we all know, and I say this a lot, this is such a unique role," he said. "To be married to someone in public service. Someone who has put themselves out there, especially at this level."

Emhoff continued: "And we all know more than anyone out there what it takes to be in these offices and what it takes to support those in these offices. So, we'll always have that in common."

RELATED: Doug Emhoff Makes Trip to Highlight Food Insecurity in First Outing as First-Ever Second Gentleman

White House Photographer Cameron Smith From left to right, Mrs. Gayle Wicker, Dr. Laura Cassidy, Ms. Anne Holton (wife of Senator Tim Kaine), Mrs. Martha Carper and Mrs. Marcelle Leahy, help pack weekend meal bags with Manna Food Center.

The group has evolved over the years since it was founded in 1917, when it was known as the Senate Ladies Red Cross Unit or the "Ladies of the Senate." At the time, the group met in a basement room of the Senate Office Building to knit bandages to aid the war effort.

After the war, the group's activities expanded to include other charitable work and today it consists of both former and current senate spouses.

The volunteer project conducted on Tuesday was done in support of Manna Food Center, an organization that builds upon Emhoff's work as second gentleman to spotlight the issue of food insecurity.

The former entertainment lawyer, who is married to Vice President Kamala Harris, made his first official stop as second gentleman at The Farm at Washington, D.C.'s Kelly Miller Middle School to learn about food insecurity and local work to address the problem.

"Food security is a racial justice issue," he said during the January 2021 stop.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories

During his tour, Emhoff provided a window into how the work at The Farm might play into the issues he highlights during his wife's time in office.

"What I found on the [campaign] trail, when I got to go around the rest of the country ... the pandemic just made everything that was bad, worse," he said. "Part of what I want to do in this role is figure out how I can help."

White House Photographer Cameron Smith

Emhoff, an entertainment lawyer who left his firm ahead of the inauguration, has been one of his wife's most visible supporters, often appearing on the campaign trail and alongside her at events. As second gentleman, he has worked to highlight issues important to him and also teaches a course at Georgetown University Law Center.

Emhoff previously told PEOPLE that, in his unprecedented role as second gentleman — a term officially added to the Merriam-Webster dictionary on Thursday — he has no plans to head up any "kitchen cabinet" of advisers to his wife.

"I'm her husband, that's it," Emhoff said in a joint interview with Harris in the fall.

He has, however, expressed an interest in building on the "legacy of progress" of the women who have served in the role of second lady.