The Sodexo Foundation Recognizes Northfield, New Jersey Teen for Working to Fight Hunger with the Stroke of the Pen
Erika Ferguson's devotion to grant writing and fundraising for the hungry earns her a national Stephen J. Brady STOP Hunger Scholarship, to be awarded at the 12th Annual Sodexo Foundation Dinner
GAITHERSBURG, Md., June 9, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Erika Ferguson, 18, of Northfield, New Jersey, has been dedicated to eradicating hunger since witnessing the plight of Atlantic City's impoverished in 2007. Ferguson is among the five recipients selected from more than 7000 applicants for a national $5,000 Stephen J. Brady STOP Hunger Scholarship from the Sodexo Foundation, the anti-hunger charitable arm of Sodexo, Inc. Ferguson will be recognized at the Sodexo Foundation's annual dinner on June 9 in Washington, D.C., where she will also receive a $5,000 matching grant for the hunger-related charity of her choice.
"Erika Ferguson's work is providing a truly sustainable solution to the insidious problem of hunger in America," said Robert A. Stern, president, the Sodexo Foundation. "She is a wonderful example of how young people are not waiting to inherit the problem of hunger that has plagued generations of Americans; they're taking action now."
Erika is a freshman at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill and has devoted her time over the past several years to grant-writing and fundraising for the hungry in her community. Erika's work with the Atlantic City Rescue Mission Farm Project resulted in a $2,500 Clifford BIG grant and dozens of youth volunteers, helping the farm to harvest nearly 50,000 pounds of fresh produce for the Mission's clients. As an Economics and Peace, War, and Defense double major, Erika hopes to join the Peace Corps for two years and ultimately eliminate hunger through urban farming initiatives. Erika was also a STOP Hunger Regional Honoree in 2010. She plans to donate her $5,000 grant to the Atlantic City Rescue Mission, Inc. and says that what drives her mission is the belief that, "Everyone deserves a healthy life, food, and shelter."
The Sodexo Foundation was created in 1999 to advance Sodexo's commitment to fight hunger and this past January it announced a renewed commitment 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. The Stephen J. Brady STOP Hunger Scholarship is named in memory of the Sodexo Foundation's former president, who was an unstoppable champion in the fight to end hunger. Thanks to Steve Brady's efforts, which made these scholarships possible, an emerging generation of leaders is taking up the fight against hunger.
Also named as national Stephen J. Brady STOP Hunger Scholars are: Amy and Emma Bushman, 10, of Cincinnati, Ohio; Jonathan Crider, 17, of Marlow, Okla.; Nicole P. Muller, 17 of Charlottesville, Va.; and Travis Robinson, 19, of Taneytown, Md.
In addition, 20 Regional Honorees will each receive a $1,000 grant in their name to support the hunger-related charity of their choice. The regional honorees are as follows:
Nick Black, Highlands Ranch, CO
Senior at Mountain Vista High School
Shoniste Dennard, Keller, TX
Senior at All Saints Episcopal School
Rebecca Fawns, Corvallis, MT
Junior at Hamilton High School-Valley Oak
Alex Gee, Chicago, IL
Eighth Grader at Beaubien
Mary Gibson, Strykersville, NY
Junior at Niagara University
Victoria Lee Grumbles, Fort Mill, SC
Senior at Nation Ford High School
Jonathan Hanson, Houston, TX
Senior at Hidden Dell Academy
Zach Harmon, New Berlin, WI
Sixth Grader at Orchard Lane
Colin Hassell, Aberdeen, NJ
Senior at Christian Brothers Academy
Christian Lamb, Guthrie, OK
Freshman at Rockhurst University
Andrew Mezzano, Staten Island, NY
Freshman at Iona College
Monica Murphy, Spring Lake Heights, NJ
Sophomore at Manasquan High School
Arthur Tyler Pratt, Bend, OR
Sophomore at Central Oregon Community College
Inesha Premaratne, Glen Allen, VA
Senior at Henrico High School
Thomas H. Price, Colorado Springs, CO
Junior at William J. Palmer High School
Andrew Nicholas Reuss, Madison, IN
Senior at Shawe Memorial Jr./Sr. High
Victoria Sarbin, Radford, VA
Senior at Radford University
Taylor Marie Scarpinato, Phoenix, AZ
Senior at Pinnacle High School
Raghav Sehtia, San Jose, CA
Sophomore at The Harker School
Tia Smart, Salt Lake City, UT
Fifth Grader at Oakridge Elementary
About Sodexo
Sodexo in North America
Sodexo, Inc. (www.sodexoUSA.com), leading Quality of Daily Life Solutions company in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, delivers On Site Service Solutions in Corporate, Education, Health Care, Government, and Remote Site segments, as well as Motivation Solutions such as Esteem Pass. Sodexo, Inc., headquartered in Gaithersburg, Md., funds all administrative costs for the Sodexo Foundation (www.SodexoFoundation.org), an independent charitable organization that, since its founding in 1999, has made more than $15 million in grants to fight hunger in America. Visit the corporate blog at www.sodexoUSA.com/blog.
Sodexo, world leader in Quality of Daily Life Solutions
Quality of Life plays an important role in the progress of individuals and the performance of organizations. Based on this conviction, Sodexo acts as the strategic partner for companies and institutions that place a premium on performance and employee well-being, as it has since Pierre Bellon founded the company in 1966. Sharing the same passion for service, Sodexo's 380,000 employees in 80 countries design, manage and deliver an unrivaled array of On Site Service Solutions and Motivation Solutions. Sodexo has created a new form of service business that contributes to the fulfillment of its employees and the economic, social and environmental development of the communities, regions and countries in which it operates.
Key Figures (as of August 31, 2010) |
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Sodexo in the World |
Sodexo in North America |
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15.3 billion euro consolidated revenue 380,000 employees 34,000 sites 50 million consumers served daily 80 countries 21st largest employer worldwide |
8.0 billion dollars revenue 120,000 employees 10 million consumers served daily 6,000 clients 700 facilities management sites |
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SOURCE Sodexo Foundation
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