Five Students and Five Sodexo Employees Recognized for Fighting Hunger in their Communities
GAITHERSBURG, Md., July 20, 2021 – The Sodexo Stop Hunger Foundation announced today its 2021 Stephen J. Brady Stop Hunger Scholars and Heroes of Everyday Life®. Five students and five Sodexo employees will receive a $5,000 grant to continue their work to fight food insecurity within their communities.
“For more than two decades, the Sodexo Stop Hunger Foundation has been integral in working to end childhood hunger with the help of youth-led initiatives, including those implemented by the Stephen J. Brady Stop Hunger Scholars,” said Joan McGlockton, Chair of the Sodexo Stop Hunger Foundation and Associate General Counsel, Corporate Affairs, Sodexo. “We are so proud of these efforts which feeds into our larger strategy of ending childhood hunger by 2030.”
The Stephen J. Brady Stop Hunger Scholars for 2021 are:
• Samantha Kopec, Co-Founder of Feeding the Fosters, Rising College Freshman, Clearwater, FL – Samantha will utilize the $5,000 grant award to secure additional resources for a communal kitchen.
• Akshara Shankar, Founder of Many Hands Food Pantry, Rising College Freshman, Holliston, MA – Akshara will utilize the $5,000 grant award to continue expanding Many Hands Food Pantry..
• Gabriel Silverman, Co-Founder of I Heart Hungry Kids, Rising Ninth Grader, Johns Island, SC – Gabriel will utilize the $5,000 grant award to digitize and improve I Heart Hungry Kid’s training and technology systems to grow their efforts statewide.
• Abigail Yoon, Founder of the Sustainable Hunger Initiative, Rising College Freshman, Greenville, NC – Abigail will utilize the $5,000 grant award to further support Love a Sea Turtle (LAST) and community gardening and sustainability initiatives.
• Shirley Zhu, Founder of Fresh Hub, Rising College Freshman, Houston, TX – Shirley will utilize the $5,000 grant award to further her nonprofit partnerships at Fresh Hub and expand nutritional programming.
The Sodexo Stop Hunger Foundation also awards Sodexo employees investing time, talent, and resources to fight hunger in their communities. These employees, recognized as Heroes of Everyday Life®, are honored specifically for raising funds and awareness, coordinating food drives, volunteering in food pantries, and supporting food recovery programs among other outreach.
Every year, we honor an extraordinary group of employees who go above and beyond in working to end childhood hunger,” said Roxanne Moore, Executive Director, Sodexo Stop Hunger Foundation. “This year is no exception – congratulations and thank you to David, Debbie, Patricia, Tijuana, and Warren.”
The 2021 Heroes of Everyday Life® are:
• Warren Bates, General Manager, Hugh Chatham Memorial Hospital, Elkin, NC – Warren is the Board President of the Tri-County Christian Crisis Ministry, a program that has distributed more than 200,000 pounds of food to community members in the past year. He also organized the Hugh Chatham Memorial Hospital's "Souper" Bowl event, where employees donated homemade crock pots of soups, stews, and chilis. He will use the $5,000 grant from the Sodexo Stop Hunger Foundation to support the Tri-County Christian Crisis Ministry.
• David Harr, General Manager, University of Findlay, Findlay, OH – David has managed the University of Findlay's Helping Hands Food Drive for the past 15 years and now manages more than 150,000 pounds of food annually. He will use the $5,000 grant from the Sodexo Stop Hunger Foundation to support the CHOPIN Hall feeding program in Findlay, OH.
• Debbie Harris, First Cook, Catering Assistant, Central Connecticut State University, New Britain, CT – Debbie is a volunteer with Helping Our People Excel (H.O.P.E., Inc.), working job fairs, collecting food bank supplies, and supporting any other services needed by the community. She will use the $5,000 grant from the Sodexo Stop Hunger Foundation to support the H.O.P.E. feeding program in Windsor, CT.
• Patricia (Patty) Graves, General Manager, Lincoln County School District, Toledo, OR – Patty is passionate about helping to mitigate food insecurity for children and their families. She volunteers with the Toledo Rotary Club and Lincoln County Foundation Scholarship Board and coordinates the Joy Program (Job Opportunities for Youth) workforce development training to help teach young people how to volunteer and expand the food pantry program. She will use the $5,000 grant from the Sodexo Stop Hunger Foundation to support the Lincoln County School District.
• Tijuana (Tia) Nichols, Building Manager, Chicago Public Schools, Chicago, IL – Tia is a volunteer with “Feed My People” where she uses her kitchen to cook and distribute meals throughout the community. Additionally, Tia has contributed $300 each month to her church community food program. She will use the $5,000 grant from the Sodexo Stop Hunger Foundation to support the Work Boots nonprofit in Chicago, IL.
Video profiles of the Heroes of Everyday Life and the Stephen J. Brady Stop Hunger Scholars can be viewed here.
Sodexo Stop Hunger Foundation works to ensure that every child in the United States, especially those most at risk, grows up with dependable access to enough nutritious food to enable them to lead a healthy, productive life. In addition to awarding grants to youth scholars and employees, the Sodexo Stop Hunger Foundation provides contributions to several national and local non-profits helping to end hunger, engages Sodexo employees in community volunteerism and supports programs that help empower women. Visit Sodexo Stop Hunger Foundation on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @StopHungerUSA and Instagram @sodexostophunger.
Thank you to our 2021 Sodexo Charity Classic Presented by PepsiCo Sponsors:
PRESENTING SPONSORSHIP
PepsiCo
PLATINUM PARTNER
Sysco/FreshPoint
FOUNDING PARTNER
Coca Cola
Ecolab
Kerry Foods
Slade Gorton
CHAMPION
CFS Brands
Dart
General Mills
GFS
Handgards
Keurig Dr Pepper (KDP)
Michael Foods, Inc.
Pactiv
Smithfield Foods
CONTRIBUTOR
ACP
Campbells
Chef Works
Cintas
Clemens (no logo recognition)
Curtis/Taylor
Danone
Edward Don & Company
Great Lakes Cheese
J AMBROGI FOOD DISTRIBUTION
JBSS
Kellogg
Kraft Heinz
MIDWEST FOOD PRODUCE
Nestle Water
PRAIRIE FARMS
Rich Products
Royal Cup
Sara Lee
Schwan's
VENTURA FOODS LLC
HOLE SPONSOR
Aspire Bakeries (formerly Aryzta)
Diversey
W.W. Grainger
GIULIANOS BAKERY
Oliver Wyman
KEANY PRODUCE
Litchfield Cavo
Monument Consulting
S&D Coffee
The JM Smucker Company
The Meyers Printing Companies
Violife (formerly Upfield)
GOLF PACKAGES
Americhicken
Aspire Bakeries (formerly Aryzta)
Bimbo Bakeries
BirchStreet Systems
BIX PRODUCE
Branding Iron
Brightview Landscape
BUSH BROTHERS AND COMPANY
Churchill Container
Clemens
Community Coffee
Del Monte
DFA - the entire organzation
Dole Packaged Foods
DOMINO FOODS INC
DS Services - PrimoWater
Impossible Foods
iTrade Network
Jennie-O
John Soules
Johnsonville
Kind
KLOSTERMANS BAKING CO
Koch Foods (outcome of RFP)
Laner Muchin, Ltd.
Monster
Netsurion - STL Office
Ogletree Deakins
Ole Mexican Foods
Paul Hastings LLP
Pilgrims Pride
PRAIRIE FARMS
Red Bull
Rentokil
Rich Products
SBM Management Services
Shasta/National Beverages
Shoes for Crews
SRMax
SUGAR FOODS CORPORATION
T CASTRO PRODUCE INC
TriMark Marlinn
Unilever
VGS
Vistar
Wells Dairy
ATTENDEE PACKAGES
3M
Alight
Alpha Baking Mfr
Amphion
Anserteam
Aon Corporation
Aon Corporation
Aon Corporation
Basic American Foods
BodyArmor
BURRY FOOD - BAGELS
BUSH BROTHERS AND COMPANY
Camerican International
CONTINENTAL MILLS
Curtis/Taylor
DC Group
Del Monte
DFA - entire organization
Diversey - check on this
DLA Piper LLP
DS Services - PrimoWater
EARL P. KEGEL, INC.
Epson
Essity
Essity
General Mills
Go Soft Stuff
Home Depot Pro
HP
Hubert
Ideaworks Marketing
Infor
Infor
J AMBROGI FOOD DISTRIBUTION
J&J Snacks
John Soules
Johnsonville
KEN'S FOODS INC
KeyImpact Sales and Systems
KLOSTERMANS BAKING CO
Litchfield Cavo
Lower Foods
MIDWEST FOOD PRODUCE
Monster
Monument Consulting
Nespresso
Ogletree Deakins
Onpoint
PARAGON FOOD SERVICE
PIEDMONT FRESH-CAVALIER PRODUCE
Pilgrims Pride
Prairie Farms
Rentokil
Rich Products
S&D Coffee
Sara Lee
SBM Management Services
Schwan's Food Service
Sherwin Williams (SW TAG National Accounts)
Smartsheet
T CASTRO PRODUCE INC
Tennant
The Meyers Printing Companies
Tillamook Cheese
Treehouse (American Italian Pasta)
Westminster Cracker Company
Womble Bond Dickinson
Woodland Foods
OTHER CONTRIBUTIONS
ADP
Nestle Coffee
Citibank
5-hour Energy (Innovation Ventures)
CDW / Lenovo
CHARLIES PRODUCE
CONAGRA FOODS INC
FANTINI BAKING CO.
JTM Foods
King Brand
MCCAIN FOODS
MCCORMICK & COMPANY
Ocean Spray
ROCKLAND BAKING
Sabrett
Waste Management
Alpha Baking Mfr
Network Distribution
Womble Bond Dickinson
Baldor NY
MISSION FOODS
DFA - the entire organzation
AGreenOzzi, LLC
MCCORMICK & COMPANY
SIRNA & SONS PRODUCE
ANC Promotions
BLACK RIVER PRODUCE
Brookwood Farms
CALISE & SONS BAKERY
CONTINENTAL MILLS
COSTA FRUIT & PRODUCE CO
Deep River
Diane's Fine Desserts
Eco Products
Houston Avocado
ISS Solutions
Jackson Lewis
Johnson Controls
Knouse
Land O Lakes
LYONS-MAGNUS
Mcilhenny (Tabasco)
MENTO PRODUCE CO.
Natco Food Service
Novolex
PIAZZA PRODUCE
Seyfarth Shaw LLP
Summit
Gojo
Barilla
Diamond Crystal
Fortune Fish (regional)
Halpern's (regional)
Hidden Valley CLOROX SALES COMPANY (Avision)
JACK & JILL ICE CREAM
JR SIMPLOT
KIKKOMAN INTERNATIONAL
PACIFIC COAST PRODUCERS PCP
PRODUCERS RICE MILL
D&R CENTRAL
InHarvest ( former Indian Harvest)
EC Sourcing Group
