Annual dinner in Washington, D.C. raises nearly $700,000, increases awareness of hunger and its root causes impacting more than 35 million Americans GAITHERSBURG, Md., June 12
GAITHERSBURG, Md., June 12 /PRNewswire/ -- The Sodexo Foundation,
independent charitable arm of Sodexo, Inc., a leading foodservice and
facilities management company, today named eight employees as their 2008
"Heroes of Everyday Life," an award now in its ninth year that honors
employees who are making a difference in the fight against hunger. The
employees were honored last night in Washington, D.C. for their outstanding
efforts that added up to more than 50,000 pounds of food collected, thousands
of volunteer hours and overall community service in their home states of
Missouri, Iowa, Virginia, Indiana, Michigan, Illinois and New York.
"Sodexo's employees embody our mission to improve the quality of life for
everyone we serve," said Stephen J. Brady, president of the Sodexo Foundation.
"We believe this mission extends to the communities in which we do business,
and in which our employees live. This year's Heroes of Everyday Life exemplify
a new standard in demonstrating a spirit of service and are role models for
all of us."
As part of the award, the Sodexo Foundation gives a $5,000 grant in the
name of each Hero to the hunger-related organization of their choice.
The 2008 "Heroes of Everyday Life" are: Laura Carpenter of Florissant,
Mo.; Joseph Cross of Des Moines, Iowa; Craig Dominie of South Boston, Va.;
Donald Keith of Orange City, Iowa; Steven Mangan of Bloomington, Ind.; Michael
Miller of Saline, Mich.; Susan Niemczyk of Wheaton, Ill.; and Jim Toczydlowski
of Cicero, N.Y.
Some of the efforts distinguishing the 2008 Heroes include leading a
program that provides summer and vacation lunches for needy schoolchildren;
organizing college students to provide food and companionship to homeless
people in New Orleans; and creating a garden that yielded more than two tons
of fresh fruit and vegetables that were donated to food banks.
For more details, please visit http://www.helpstophunger.org.
Sodexo, Inc.
Sodexo, Inc. (http://www.sodexoUSA.com) is a leading integrated food and
facilities management services company in the U.S., Canada and Mexico, with
$7.3 billion (USD) in annual revenue and 120,000 employees. Sodexo, Inc.
serves more than ten million customers daily in corporations, health care,
long term care and retirement centers, schools, college campuses, government
and remote sites. Sodexo, Inc., headquartered in Gaithersburg, Md., is a
member of Sodexo Group, and funds the Sodexo Foundation
(http://www.helpstophunger.org), an independent charitable organization that,
since its founding in 1999, has made more than $9.2 million in grants to fight
hunger in America.
SOURCE Sodexo Foundation
