Chef Remmi Smith

Hi, I’m Remmi of Cook Time with Remmi. I believe every young person can make a difference by doing what they love to do! I’ve always loved being in the kitchen; I was helping out when I was only 4 years old! Now at the age of 13, I have my own cooking show, Cook Time with Remmi, and I’m comfortable cooking for myself and my family.

I hope that my cooking show and the recipes on my website get kids excited about cooking because I believe that cooking at home can help you eat healthier and save money. It’s important that kids learn to eat and cook nutritious meals early so that these habits can stay with them as adults too! And, cooking is a lot of fun―I promise! I have always wanted to be a cook star….and so can you!

My passion for talking to other kids about how easy (and yummy!) cooking and eating nutritiously can be led me to become Sodexo’s first-ever Student Ambassador to Health and Nutrition! Sodexo provides education solutions to nearly 500 school districts nationwide. Their STOP Hunger program enables Sodexo communities, including employees, consumers, clients and suppliers to join together to make a difference and end hunger.

Thanks to Sodexo Foundation, I can reach way more kids and get them as excited about healthy cooking and eating as I am.

The No Kid Hungry campaign teaches families how to cook healthy, affordable meals.

With my Sodexo Foundation Youth Grant, I’m hosting the No Kid Hungry Food Classic – Be a C.H.E.F. on Global Youth Service Day. The event is on April 27^th at Metro Appliances and More in Tulsa, OK, from 1:00 to 5:00 PM. I’ll be doing demos and cooking up some of my favorite dishes for you to sample, and I will be talking to everyone about the No Kid Hungry campaign!

We are also having Global Gardens at the event and they will be talking about how to grow your own garden too!

I couldn’t believe it when I found out that 1 in 5 children in the United States struggles with hunger. I want to help end childhood hunger, so I decided to use what I love to do to make a difference and raise awareness and funds for No Kid Hungry.

Along with connecting kids in need with nutritious food, the No Kid Hungry campaign teaches their families how to cook healthy, affordable meals – something I love to do!

If you live in the Tulsa area, you should definitely come by! Be sure to bring canned food or a monetary donation to support Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma and No Kid Hungry. But even if you don’t live in my area, you can still get involved! Cook Time with Remmi has lots of healthy recipes and fun videos from my cooking show. Check out NoKidHungry2.org for fun ways to help end childhood hunger.

I’m so excited for April 27^th – hope to see you all there

Chef Remmi Smith is Sodexo’s Student Ambassador for Health and Nutrition.

Mabel Hernandez

I’m an alchemist in the kitchen, making magic happen when I transform the simplest ingredients into something extraordinary.

One trick I don’t mind sharing is a recipe for making hunger disappear.

I add a dash of my passion for cooking and fold in a generous measure of nutrition awareness, drawing on my professional experience.

Getting it right didn’t happen overnight, however.

A few years ago when I was a student at the University of the District of Columbia, a representative of the Capital Area Food Bank came to one of our classes recruiting volunteers for Share Our Strength’s Cooking Matters^® program .

I love serving as nutrition instructor and class coordinator at the local food bank..

The program mission attracted me, but time passed, and despite receiving monthly e-mails asking to join a series, I never joined.

Several years later, while working as a community nutritionist at an outpatient clinic, a manager re-directed my attention to Cooking Matters^®. Finally, I contacted the Capital Area Food Bank, made all the arrangements and our first Cooking Matters series began, with we me serving as nutrition instructor and class coordinator.

I fell in love with all aspects of the program, which uses simple concepts, easy, inexpensive recipes and involve the participant in cooking and learning nutrition concepts.

"Basic, accessible ingredients can become delicious, healthy meals." Photo courtesy of Share Our Strength's Cooking Matters®

Using that experience as a springboard, I went on to work with a group of parents and kids at one of the Catholic Charities sites in Washington D.C., which subsequently became a Cooking Matters satellite site.

My responsibilities grew to include recruiting volunteers, planning and implementing the classes, and purchasing the groceries, while working with a wonderful team of colleagues.

Looking back, I’ve noticed that participants were most “spellbound” or receptive to new information when they could see how basic, accessible ingredients can become delicious, healthy meals.

Proper nutrition improves the quality of life and health for families. Photo courtesy of Share Our Strength's Cooking Matters®

They take joy in knowing how to gain proper nutrition that improves the quality of life and health for their families, and communities.

Through Cooking Matters, I found a way to combine my two passions: food and nutrition in a way that empowers individuals to personally combat hunger.

The real trick, you see, is in recognizing an opportunity to leverage the skills you’ve developed to proudly serve your community.

I encourage you to get involved with Cooking Matters or any other initiative that will fuel your passion and help to end hunger. Don’t put it off. You never know how many lives you can touch by your efforts.

Mabel Hernandez, a licensed nutritionist, is a 2013 Sodexo Dietetic Intern, and a 2008 Graduate of the University of the District of Columbia. View this video to learn more information about Cooking Matters.

Bob Stern

April 1^st is special for a number of reasons: April Fool’s Day; opening day for Major League Baseball; and now it’s officially recognized as the start of Sodexo Servathon!

Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley issued a formal proclamation this year, saluting Servathon and Sodexo’s important work fighting hunger in local communities.

Servathon is Sodexo’s largest employee engagement initiative in North America and around the world. Last year 40,000 employees in 35 countries got involved in the fight against hunger.

This year, I’m afraid the need is as great as ever. 50 million Americans, including more than 16 million children, don’t have enough to eat.

Since improving quality of life is important to Sodexo, it just makes sense that we ask employees to get involved in service projects in their communities to help fight hunger.

Volunteering at the Manna Food Center.

This year we’re asking employees to include youth in their service efforts too. I’ve found that today’s generation of youth is amazingly public-service oriented, and usually very eager to help those in need.

Involving kids also helps raise awareness around the issue of hunger, and helps ensure a strong pipeline of future leaders and volunteers in the fight against hunger. I encourage everyone to think about the young people in their life and find easy but effective ways for them to help out.

Earlier this week, my son, Elliott, joined me and several of my Sodexo colleagues at a volunteer event sponsored by PANG at Manna Food Center near our headquarters.

He’s done it before and he knows that poverty persists in every county and just about every school. My son is student teaching in a high school now, and he told me he has seen how hard it is for students to study when they are hungry. Having my son alongside me for Servathon was a special experience.

PANG, a Sodexo Employee Business Resource group, volunteering at Manna Food Center during Sodexo Servathon.

Need some thought-starters on how to mobilize youth to tackle the massive issue of hunger? Here are just a few simple ideas:

• Block-out some time; whatever you can spare, minutes, hours or more and prepare or serve meals at a soup kitchen or sort food at a local food bank.
• Take the No Kid Hungry Pledge, and ask young people in your life to take the pledge with you.
• Raise funds or collect food to donate in your community.
• Visit No Kid Hungry 2 for cool ideas on how to involve youth.

You can even check out Sodexo’s Servathon page for additional resources. And don’t forget to let us know what you’ve done, by sharing your Servathon story through our online survey.

Robert A. Stern is senior vice president and general counsel for Sodexo, Inc. and president of Sodexo Foundation, which supports innovative programs to help children and families in the United States who are at-risk of hunger.

Charmion Wood

How many of us grew up hearing that we should finish the food on our plates, because there are kids elsewhere who would be grateful for what we waste? Maybe some still hear this today. Thankfully many of us took it to heart and to this day look for ways to divert safe, nutritious food from landfills — getting it to those in our own communities who are in need.

Sodexo at Landon School has been donating food to DC Central Kitchen and the Capital Area Food Bank for over 16 years. Of course, in our business, one of our top priorities is preventing food waste in the first place, but when there remains excess un-served food that has already been prepared, Sodexo’s policy is to feed hungry people.

Diverting surplus food to agencies that help to feed hungry residents is a great way to support our local communities and it is simply the right thing to do. Sodexo not only advocates for such initiatives, it actively challenges its employees and mobilizes youth to participate in numerous ways.

The Landon School community, including faculty, parents and students are aware of Sodexo’s food donation program and backs it wholeheartedly. The staff has been recognized in the Landon newspaper, the Landon magazine and by Sodexo for its successes in food donation.

The process is very simple to set up. Our thinking… STOP Hunger, Donate F.O.O.D. Following this easy-to-remember acronym will help you get started.

F.O.O.D. for Thought

• Follow safe food handling procedures as outlined in the HACCP Manual. Sodexo makes this information, along with other forms and templates available to employee volunteers.
  
• Obtain an approved anti-hunger non-profit partner. This helps ensure surplus food is reaching the people most in need.
• Outline roles and responsibilities of volunteers. Ensuring preparation, packing and scheduling of pick-ups or drop-offs is critical to success.
• Donate surplus food to feed hungry families and children.

Too many people fear donating surplus food, even as they witness the severe need. Concerns about food safety and litigation are paramount. But if you follow these simple guidelines, provide proper training and reach out to others who have had success, these concerns will soon fade — so will hunger.

Charmion Wood is the Sodexo general manager at the Landon School in Bethesda, Maryland.

Dennis Shepherd

It’s hard to believe nearly three years have flown by since experiencing one of the more memorable moments in my life. No, certainly not as important as my wedding day or the birth of my first child – but memorable just the same.

Nearly three years ago, I had the opportunity to see the White House for the first time in my life. It was during that same trip to Washington I had a personal meeting with my representative, Congressman Walter Jones at the U.S. Capitol. The reason for the trip? I was being honored by Sodexo Foundation on stage at the historic Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington D.C. for the volunteer work that I do in my community to fight hunger.

The memory of those experiences and being called a “Hero of Everyday Life” still move me. The reason it is so memorable is because it was a once in a lifetime chance to see and meet so many important figures and to be honored publicly before a thousand onlookers at a benefit dinner. It was more than I could imagine. It was surreal.

None of it would have been possible without a Sodexo district manager who was aware of my volunteer work and felt it needed to be recognized. Getting to know those who you work with and supervise beyond the scope of their 9-5 responsibilities can mean everything for both morale and productivity.

Dennis Shepherd (top left) and the rest of the 2010 Heroes of Everyday Life.

In addition to all of the larger-than-life experiences I had as a result of being named a Hero of Everyday Life, I came away with a couple of small but important lessons that I’ve been able to apply in my life. The first is that sometimes we need to talk about the good work we are doing, because you never know where it may lead or what additional support you might come by. Another is simply that anyone, young or old, can make a huge difference – specifically in fighting hunger. I saw that first hand through the stories of young people honored just before me, on the same stage that night.

I’ve since started taking my sixteen year old daughter along with me to raise donations, and to volunteer at our local soup kitchen. She’s a hard worker and has been helpful in doing more charity work to improve our community.

There is no doubt in my mind about the power of public recognition. I was so inspired after my trip to Washington that I volunteered the very next weekend and raised additional funds and collected more than 1200 pounds of food. If you are an eyewitness to random acts of kindness, acknowledge them. Recognize your fellow employees, praise youth efforts and nominate individuals doing exceptional things to fight hunger. Better yet, join in.

The $5000 grant I received from Sodexo Foundation helped the Jacksonville Soup Kitchen, which was for their Meals on Wheels program to take food to the elderly. If you know a Sodexo employee who is working to end hunger, recognize their efforts by submitting a Hero nomination on www.SodexoFoundation.org.

I’m sure I’d still be doing the volunteer work that I do even without the recognition, but it does have value. Think of the fond memories it will create for someone for years and years to come.

Dennis Shepherd is a driver for Sodexo at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina and is a 2010 Hero of Everyday Life. Read more about Dennis and other recipients here.

The 2013 Heroes of Everyday Life® nomination period is open now through March 8.

Phyll Dondis Ribakoff, RD, LDN

I have been involved with Share Our Strength’s Cooking Matters® courses since 2005, when, initially it was called “Operation Frontline.” Recently, I taught my 18^th series for the course, and with each class of students I learn something new.

Cooking Matters taps the expertise of culinary and nutrition experts who volunteer to help course participants identify and prepare nutritious, low-cost ingredients in ways that deliver the best nourishment. Last June I was recognized by Sodexo Foundation as one of five  Heroes of Everyday Life® specifically for my work volunteering as a nutrition instructor with Cooking Matters Massachusetts.  

It’s difficult to describe what that meant to me. I felt so honored to be nominated by my supervisor, the National Director of Sodexo Dietetic Internships and the Massachusetts director of Cooking Matters. Together they confirmed my passion and demonstrated Sodexo’s commitment to frontline volunteering in the campaign against hunger.  The recognition meant a lot to me. 

One of the reasons that Cooking Matters is so important to me is because of the very positive and practical impact it allows me to have on the people in my community. Each class series is led by a nutritionist or dietitian and chef providing nutrition education and hands-on cooking lessons.  

Phyll Ribakoff teaching Cooking Matters class. Photo courtesy of Share Our Strength Cooking Matters Program

My favorite class takes place during week four, where we cover the importance of breakfasts. The Chef shows the participants how to create a vegetable frittata, carrot pineapple muffins or oatmeal pancakes, and smoothies.  This is also the time when we cover unit pricing in anticipation of the following week’s supermarket tour. By this time in the 6-week series, the participants know the staff and each other and they really start to enjoy cooking and talking nutrition together.  By now, all of the participants have an opinion, questions or both.  In fact, at this point they are answering more than they are asking, and they are teaching one another.

A participant once said that Cooking Matters made her miss home because she lives alone here in the U.S., but came from a large family where everyone was always in the kitchen. Once a week, our work made her feel like part of a big happy family in the kitchen.  For her, the course was not only about finding affordable nutrition strategies. To her what really matters is the connection between the food and the people – using it to bond, support and help one another. I’m proud to say that Sodexo sees the value in that connection as well, and all of the volunteer work that its employees do to provide communities with access to nutritious food.

Sodexo Foundation honored me for my work with Cooking Matters and presented me with a $5000 grant to benefit the hunger-relief agency of my choice.  I designated Share Our Strength’s Cooking Matters of Massachusetts as the recipient of those funds.

I hope other Sodexo managers, and frontline workers will do what my supervisor did for me.  Nominate a Sodexo employee who is working to end hunger as a Hero. Self-nominations from employees are perfectly acceptable as well.

The 2013 Heroes of Everyday Life® nomination period is open now through March 8 on www.SodexoFoundation.org.

Phyll Dondis Ribakoff, RD, LDN is the associate director of the Sodexo Distance Education Dietetic Internship and a 2012 Hero of Everyday Life.  Check out the Cooking Matters videos that Hero Phyll stars in:

Steve Dunmore

A Sodexo manager once shared a story about a boy who would come by the school cafeteria at closing time every Friday afternoon to ask if there was any leftover food he could take home. The manager gave him what he could, and he would stuff the food in his backpack. The manager eventually learned that the boy was asking for the food to help feed his younger brother and sister who had no source of good nutrition during the weekend.

The manager then approached teachers, staff and administrators in the school district to share this story and soon realized that there were many other kids in the exact same situation as this boy, but they were largely anonymous because they did not have the courage to ask for help.  This inspired our manager to take action by pulling the combined resources of Sodexo, the school district and the community to establish a formal backpack weekend feeding program that would ultimately help all district students in need of hunger assistance.

The power of that example stayed with me and I realize that we have a tremendous opportunity to improve the communities we serve by taking advantage of the resources and partnerships we foster as a company. It’s about empowering our own teams and others with a strategy to give back, but within their means – where they live and work. That’s something that the outstanding hunger organization Share Our Strength excels at as well.

No Kid Hungry

In my role as president for Sodexo’s K-12 segment, I am constantly amazed by the power of students who recognize a need among their peers and then rally to see it met. I find Schools for No Hungry Kid, and its new turn-key program, No Kid Hungry, Every Kid Healthy, very exciting because not only is it an excellent vehicle for instilling the critical nutrition and wellness habits that students need to ensure growth and academic performance, but it also takes advantage of the natural instinct inside children to help their peers by promoting activities for students that help raise funds for other children who are less fortunate, but equally deserving of fair access to nutritious meals. Students get to choose one or more “Every Kid Healthy” activities during the program and they collect monetary pledges from friends, family and neighbors – all of which goes to help end childhood hunger in America.

Sodexo understands the importance of engaging students to support other students and we incorporate that approach into our own work creating healthy learning environments that support student achievement at school districts nationwide. For example, Sodexo partnered with Chef Remmi, a 12-year-old student in Oklahoma, by naming her Sodexo’s official student ambassador to nutrition and wellness. Chef Remmi helps reinforce Sodexo’s positive nutrition message through videos, appearances and marketing materials that get kids excited about healthy eating.

In addition to our peer-to-peer education approach, I am also very proud of the many ways our K-12 teams across the country work to fight childhood hunger. Whether at one-off events like Sodexo employees from Detroit Public Schools supporting the work of a regional food bank at a local Radiothon or through annual programs like our Stephen J. Brady STOP Hunger Scholarships, we support the communities we serve just like the way that Schools for No Kid Hungry and No Kid Hungry, Every Kid Healthy mobilize youth to create innovative solutions to childhood hunger.

I encourage everyone reading this to learn as much as they can about the need for hunger assistance in their own community and to get involved by volunteering, collecting, donating or supporting groups like Share Our Strength. To learn more about Schools for No Hungry Kid and to find out how you can help fight childhood hunger, visit: http://nokidhungry2.org/schools

Stephen Dunmore is president for the Schools segment at Sodexo, overseeing the work of teams at nearly 500 K-12 partner organizations nationwide.

Lauren Brayer

Some would say that working so closely to an issue like childhood hunger can wear on the soul after a while – slowly eating away at the heart with overwhelming images of enduring need. That’s not my view. I see myself as lucky…. lucky to make the acquaintance of so many individuals and businesses that choose to be a part of the solution.

Take for example the 21 million children who returned to school this fall and are receiving free and reduced-price meals — regular, nutritious meals that they can depend on without fail during school days.

Were it not for the dedication of countless individuals, when schools close for holidays, weekends or summer breaks, many of these kids find themselves at risk of hunger.

I’m fortunate enough to work with so many of these dedicated individuals every day in the course of my work with Sodexo Foundation.

Sodexo volunteers Shondra, Lauren (center), Sam, and Necole volunteering in Washington, DC at the Capital Area Food Bank, a Feeding Our Future® participant.

They are the driving force behind successful programs like Feeding Our Future®, which helps children get the nutritious meals they need during the summer months so they’re ready to learn when they return to school.

Feeding Our Future® entered its 16^th year this summer, with a presence in 24 U.S. cities, providing 400,000 nutritious meals. Since its inception, the program has provided nearly 3.4 million meals to children nationwide.

Feeding Our Future is impactful due to the many volunteers who donate time and resources. They are community leaders, Sodexo employees, clients and customers and 26 vendor partners, including key donors like The Coca-Cola Company, Unilever, Sysco and The Schwan Food Company, who along with Sodexo Foundation implement the program across the country.

A Sodexo Foundation - Feeding Our Future® event in Atlanta, Georgia.

I know I’m not alone in balancing the severity of the need and gratitude for those willing to fill it. The following note was shared with me by a Feeding Our Future volunteer about an experience  in Indianapolis:

Sodexo’s Feeding Our Future program was a blessing to Indianapolis children every day during the summer. A team of volunteers separated and bagged the lunches to give out. Upon our arrival, children were standing outside waiting for the lunches. We gave out 100 lunches in the first 15 minutes. And, all the lunches were gone after 25 minutes.  The heartbreak was every day like clockwork – children would come up and say, “Are all the meals gone already?”  This would bring tears to my eyes. However, we are so grateful to Sodexo for the many children that did receive meals each day. — Toni Bunch, Precious Gifts Visionaries Childcare, Indiana

A Sodexo Foundation - Feeding Our Future® event in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

As a direct result of Feeding Our Future, Sodexo was honored with the Children Are Reason for Excellence service award this September by the Boys and Girls Clubs Tennessee Area Council for the contributions it makes to improve the quality of life for at-risk youth in Tennessee.

Recognition like that comes from the work of a lot of caring people. I’m so lucky to know them.

Lauren Brayer is a program manager at Sodexo and manages Feeding Our Future and other U.S. STOP Hunger initiatives at Sodexo. Visit www.SodexoFoundation.org for more information.

Joshua Williams

Right around this time, just a little more than two years ago, I was doing exactly what I hope a lot of young people are doing right now… applying for the Stephen J Brady STOP Hunger Scholarship.

Along with four other students, I was lucky enough to be selected as one of its national scholarship recipients for the volunteer work that I do to fight hunger. That recognition included a $5,000 grant for my education and a great trip to Washington, DC for me and two other guests! That was all great, but it wasn’t just about what I would get out of it. It was really about what I would be able to give… or actually, continue to give.

Being recognized as a Stephen J. Brady STOP Hunger Scholarship recipient also meant a $5,000 grant from Sodexo Foundation to my own non-profit, Joshua’s Heart Foundation. That funding helped my organization assist a lot more people and it has grown larger since I received the scholarship. Joshua’s Heart has a mission to “Stomp Out Hunger” by providing basic necessities, such as food and other grocery products, and by effectively engaging and educating communities.

Joshua Williams working the donations area of his non-profit. To learn more about the scholarship, click on the photograph.

The amount of food that we have given out from the time I received the grant until now has nearly doubled. It was 250,000 lbs. before the grant, compared to the 400,000 lbs. we now distribute. We also had a large increase in volunteers since the recognition, especially with youth.

The added visibility from being named a STOP Hunger scholar also led to a number of other opportunities. In 2011 Walmart awarded Joshua’s Heart a grant of $20,000 to start our backpack program through its 12 Days of Giving campaign. In addition we are now partners with Whole Foods Markets, which sponsors our cooking demonstration that teaches families how to eat a healthy yet delicious meal. Most recently, I was honored to be presented with the Champions of Change award by the White House.

I am proud to say I was a Stephen J. Brady STOP Hunger Scholar in 2010. The award is by far one of my favorite and most helpful recognitions presented to Joshua’s Heart. It raised great awareness about our work and it proves that you’re never too young to make a difference. I hope these words inspire another young person to apply, just like I did. It could lead to some amazing opportunities for you and the communities you serve.

Joshua Williams is a 2010 Stephen J. Brady STOP Hunger Scholarship recipient and the founder of Joshua’s Heart Foundation. He also is a middle school student at Ransom Everglades School in Miami, Florida.

Peyton Medick

For so many reasons 2012 has been AMAZING. Participating as an Olympic torch bearer was certainly among my top highlights, but another had to do with my work to fight hunger. It’s a cause that has been important to me even before creating my non-profit, Peyton’s Promise, which started as a simple food drive.

Thanks to Sodexo Foundation, I had the honor of being named a 2012 Stephen J. Brady STOP Hunger Scholarship recipient this summer.  I was honored and humbled to be put in the same category as so many other amazing youth volunteers. I loved hearing their stories and taking tips and ideas from them on how their organizations have become successful.

Like me, they believe that the importance of youth involvement in fighting hunger is HUGE. When I began my organization at 8 years old, many people did not think it could accomplish as much as it did – not even me!  Anyone of any age can truly make a difference. My little food drive has since grown into an incredible food distribution network that provides food supplies to pantries that reach 5,000 families each month!

The Stephen J. Brady STOP Hunger Scholarship has also made a huge impact in my local community. The $5,000 grant helped Covenant Community Presbyterian Church’s Food Pantry provide for the growing number of families that they serve. Just during this summer, the food pantry’s attendance went from 80 families per month to 300 families per month. The food pantry remained stocked throughout the summer thanks to this grant and its freezer has also been filled with frozen meat thanks to Sodexo Foundation. 

If you are a student working to fight hunger, especially childhood hunger, I encourage you to apply for the Stephen J. Brady STOP Hunger Scholarship.  It was an experience of a lifetime to be invited to Washington, D.C. where I received $5,000 for my education and another $5,000 grant for my local food pantry. Our community efforts to fight hunger would not be where they are today without the help of Sodexo Foundation and the Stephen J. Brady STOP Hunger Scholarship.

Ending hunger might seem like an Olympic feat, but as more youth volunteers take up the torch, we are bound to meet the challenge.

Peyton Medick (9^th Grade) is the founder of Peyton’s Promise and a 2012 Stephen J. Brady STOP Hunger Scholarship recipient. Student volunteers fighting hunger can apply for the 2013 scholarship by visiting www.sodexofoundation.org.