Sodexo Foundation

Sodexo, Inc.
Sodexo, Inc. is a leading integrated food and facilities management services company in the U.S., Canada and Mexico, with $7.3 billion in annual revenue and 125,000 employees. Sodexo serves more than 10 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 subsidiary of Sodexo Group (www.sodexo.com). Sodexo, Inc. funds the Sodexo Foundation (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.

Commitment to U.S. Communities
Thirty-five million Americans live in households that experience hunger or are at risk of hunger. Malnourished children have an impaired ability to learn. Their performance in school is directly related to their ability to secure meaningful employment. Our most vulnerable citizens are often condemned to a life of poverty. Sodexo believes that hunger is a solvable problem, and we are working not only to feed those at risk of hunger, but to fund solutions that work towards a hunger-free nation.

Sodexo Anti-Hunger Programs
The Sodexo Foundation (www.helpstophunger.org) is an independent charitable organization that is leading the fight against hunger by supporting initiatives that focus on eliminating the root causes of hunger in the United States. Administrative costs are paid by Sodexo, Inc. to ensure that all money raised is directed to those in need. Established in 1999, the Sodexo Foundation has been a leading force in the pursuit of a hunger-free nation with its ongoing efforts to provide support to individuals and families facing poverty, unemployment, lack of education and food insecurity. Since its inception, the Foundation has raised and contributed over $9.2 million. More than $1.9 million in grants was distributed in 2007.

The Sodexo Foundation supports hunger-related initiatives in the U.S. through grants and programs such as:

• Feeding Our Future - Last year, the Sodexo Foundation and Sodexo employees prepared and served more than 275,000 meals to impoverished schoolchildren during the summer in 18 U.S. cities.

• Jumpstart - Engages college students as mentors for at-risk preschool children through one-to-one relationships that focus on building literacy in combination with social and emotional readiness.

• The Campus Kitchens Project - Empowers college student volunteers in preparing and delivering meals for those in need, such as the home-bound elderly. Campus Kitchens are currently on the following Sodexo campuses: Augsburg College, Gonzaga University, Marquette University, Minnesota State University-Mankato and Northwestern University.

• Community Kitchen - A program of America's Second Harvest that provides culinary job training and life skills training for the chronically unemployed.

• Supporting community food banks across the United States through grants and food donations.

• STOP Hunger Scholarships - Recognizes students who are engaged in the fight against hunger in their communities by providing scholarships and grants. 

• Partnering with organizations such as Habitat for Humanity that offer affordable housing to low-income families.

• Creating a culture of hunger activists - Last year, the Sodexo Servathon resulted in more than 33,000 Sodexo employees donating more than 100 tons of food and serving 50,000 meals to hungry men, women and children.

Working Together

For 35 million men, women and children to be at risk of hunger in a country of so much abundance is unthinkable. Sodexo urges you to:

• Volunteer - Give your time to a local food bank and help them repackage donated food or help them transport the food to charitable agencies.
• Donate - Make a tax deductible donation. Helping 35 million people starts with the generosity of one person.
• Advocate - Contact your Senators and U.S. Representative to advocate for hungry Americans.