12-year-old Ian McKenna helps feed the hungry
GAITHERSBURG, Md., January 24, 2017 — Employees of Sodexo, world leader of Quality of Life services, at the University of Texas, along with interns from Urban Roots support local youth efforts to organize and prepare a Hunger Outreach Dinner, providing hot meals to members of the Austin community. Ian McKenna of The Giving Garden organized and hosted his first Katie’s Krops dinner on Saturday, January 21, 2017 at El Buen Samaritano Mission.
Katie Stagliano started Katie’s Krops, a youth-based and anti-hunger nonprofit, after growing and donating a 40-pound cabbage. She now encourages other youth, like Ian, to grow their own food and donate the produce to families at risk of hunger. Since starting The Giving Garden, Ian McKenna has grown 750 pounds of food. Both Ian and Katie were recognized as Stephen J. Brady Stop Hunger Scholars for positively impacting their communities.
Jim Jenkins, CEO of Universities East for Sodexo North America volunteered at the Hunger Outreach Dinner; among his responsibilities as a Chief Executive Officer for Sodexo includes educating community members, clients, and Sodexo employees about hunger and food insecurity among college students.
“Too many college students have to choose between food and educational expenses – as many as 25 percent of them according to a recent report. Sodexo is working with its partners to address the issue and find workable solutions to combat the reality facing many students today,” Jenkins said. “The dinner created dialogue about the issue of food insecurity, which is unfortunately prevalent among today’s college student population.”
Sodexo delivers more than 100 services across North America that enhance organizational performance, contribute to local communities and improve quality of life. The Fortune Global 500 company is a leader in delivering sustainable, integrated facilities management and foodservice operations.
Learn more about Sodexo at its corporate blog, Sodexo Insights.
Contact: Samuel Wells, Sodexo, Inc., 301 987 4893, samuel.wells@sodexo.com
