In the Spirit of Service, Sodexo Gives Back
By Tami Carter-McNulty, Senior Recruiter

As the National Day of Service was observed on January 19th, the day prior to the presidential inauguration, President Obama reminded all Americans of the importance of volunteering and participating in service projects. At Sodexo, giving back to the community is a way of life. With the Spirit of Service that is a part of our corporate culture, and through the many initiatives of the Sodexo Foundation, the charitable arm of Sodexo, Inc., we support innovative programs to help children and families who are battling problems such as poverty, unemployment, lack of education and food insecurity. Programs range from nutrition for children to job training for adults and affordable housing for families. Since its founding in 1999, the Foundation has provided more than $11 million in grants to fight hunger. One great example is Sodexo’s Feeding Our Future lunch program. The Sodexo Foundation provides grants to purchase food for the meals, and local Sodexo employees donate time and labor to prepare the meals each day. Employees work closely with local community organizations that distribute the meals to children at more than 72 feeding sites across the country.

Michel Landel, Group CEO, Sodexo

Sodexo's global hunger-related programs were recently highlighted in a chapter about corporate giving in the new book Do Your Giving While You Are Living: Inspirational Lessons on What You Can Do Today to Make A Difference Tomorrow (Morgan James Publishing 2009). In the book, Sodexo's global CEO, Michel Landel, describes how Sodexo's commitment to hunger issues is embedded deeply into the culture of Sodexo. "As a service organization, it is natural that we have a culture that is focused on how to make life better for the 50 million customers we serve every day," he said. "We have expanded this commitment beyond Sodexo's day-to-day business. Sodexo’s workforce actively engages in local communities to help stop hunger and its root causes."

For more information about the National Day of Service, please visit www.mlkday.gov.