The Sodexo Foundation Recognizes Teen from Taneytown for Driving out Hunger in the Community

GAITHERSBURG, Md., June 9, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Travis Robinson, 19, of Taneytown, Maryland, is dedicated to eradicating hunger in his community and has been organizing regular food drives since 2007. His efforts have helped provide food to thousands in need of food bank assistance. Robinson 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. Robinson will be recognized at the Sodexo Foundation's annual dinner on June 9 in Washington, D.C., where he will also receive a $5,000 matching grant for the hunger-related charity of his choice.

After noticing the large number of impoverished people in his community, Travis began implementing regular food drives outside of local retailers and at school. Since 2007, he has helped raise more than 31,000 pounds of food for Carroll County Food Sunday, Inc. Robinson also organizes pet food and supply drives, and has collected more than 10,000 pounds for Carroll's Pets in Need. He is praised for his dedication to helping Carroll County Food Sunday maintain food security in the community and plans to donate his $5,000 grant to the organization. Travis was also a STOP Hunger Regional Honoree in 2010.

"In addition to providing much-needed food to those suffering from hunger, Travis is committed to raising awareness of the issue in his community," said Robert A. Stern, president, the Sodexo Foundation. "He 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."

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.; Erika Ferguson, 18, of Northfield, N.J.; and Nicole P. Muller, 17, of Charlottesville, Va.

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:

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.

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SOURCE Sodexo Foundation