Donya Redmond is the community and partner relations director for Sodexo at Detroit Public Schools.
As the community and partner relations director for Sodexo at Detroit Public Schools, I am always seeking out opportunities that allow our employees and partners to support the school district and the Greater Detroit community – opportunities such as the recent 104.3 WOMC Radiothon for Gleaners Community Food Bank of Southeastern Michigan, is how Sodexo support to the community.
A group of 12 volunteers, including Sodexo employees along with Sodexo partners employees from Hercules & Hercules Inc. and Payne Landscaping, Inc., helped make the event a huge success by answering pledge calls and processing donations. It was an incredible collaborative effort and in the two hours we volunteered, the radio station raised a total of $85,612. Over the course of the entire Radiothon, a whopping $371, 282 was raised to help Gleaners fight childhood hunger. This equals roughly 1,131,531 nutritious meals for hungry children – an amazing amount!
I was so proud to be a part of this event for a number of reasons. Not only was it great to be able to support the community outside of my daily work at Detroit Public Schools, but it also matched Sodexo’s philanthropic mission to end childhood hunger through our own Sodexo Foundation. Sodexo proves each day to stand on its values and realize the importance of volunteering, supporting community, and engaging employees in event that promote stewardship and fellowship. I love the fact that Sodexo supports employees in helping their local communities.
Of course, this volunteer opportunity was much bigger than one person. It took the collective dedication of all twelve of our stewards of the community to make it a success. I asked these volunteers to share what this experience meant to them and here’s what they had to say:
Bobby Banks with Sodexo: “Being a member of the Sodexo team affords employees the gateway to do more than just earn a paycheck. Sodexo empowers us all to make a true and tangible difference in our communities by teaming with national and local agencies, along with company and employee-sponsored organizations. We really are making a difference one person, one family and one community at a time.”
Robyn Freeburg with Sodexo: “This was a great opportunity to help in my own community. I am proud to be part of a company that makes this their main platform. Helping stop hunger for all is so important, especially in our own backyards.” (Pictured: Chacona Johnson, DPS Foundation; Jim Johnson, WOMC; and Donya Redmond, Sodexo.)
Rachel Lee with Sodexo: “The time I spent volunteering at the Gleaners Radiothon has truly motivated me to become more giving of my time to help ensure the children of the city are fed. What a great organization Gleaners truly is.”
Kim Murphy with Payne Landscaping: “I enjoyed volunteering my time to help fight hunger. Making a difference in someone’s life makes a difference in mine.”
Rhian Russell: “I came to Gleaners to help the less fortunate get food. I hope I get another opportunity to help other kids.” (Rhian Russell working with mom Holly Russell from Sodexo and pictured with Jim Johnson from WOMC) Rachel Lee with Sodexo: “The time I spent volunteering at the Gleaners Radiothon has truly motivated me to become more giving of my time to help ensure the children of the city are fed. What a great organization Gleaners truly is.”
Terry Payne with Payne Landscaping: “It was a great experience – I enjoy being able to give back to the community.”
Susan DiMaggio with Sodexo: “It was very rewarding volunteering my time to help stop hunger in our local community. It is such an honor to be employed by an organization that supports this community food bank and its efforts to fight hunger throughout Southeast Michigan.” (Pictured: The WOMC DJs lend a helping hand.)
Be sure to check out additional pictures of the event on the Sodexo Flickr page.