Carol Marquart, HR Manager, Berry Plastics/Goshen, Indiana

As I sit in my office at Berry Plastics located in Goshen, Indiana, I see people come up and read the sign on our door: “Currently not accepting applications”.  These people walk away with their heads facing the ground. Our county has a 19% unemployment rate.  You can’t help but ask yourself, “What can we do to make a difference?”  Every one of our employees either has a spouse, friend, neighbor or family member that has lost their jobs in this ailing economy. One day in early June an employee, Dave Riggs, came to me and said “I have an idea.   Let’s plant sweet corn in our seven acres of empty land and donate it to the food banks to help them feed the unemployed.”

I was amazed.  Dave and I presented the idea to our Gung Ho Team. I immediately contacted Tom Kercher, owner of Sunrise Orchards.

Tom said, “That will be a lot of sweet corn, but why not, let’s do it.” 

Kercher’s Sunrise Orchard, T & T Fertilizer and Berry Plastics united to feed the hungry. 

On June 22nd the seeds were planted.

Employees watched as the corn began to grow.  Instead of complaining that it was raining, we rejoiced as the corn field was being nourished with the blessings of the rainfalls.

Earlier this fall, Dave’s idea became reality.  The harvest began at 8:00AM and the first food bank was here at 9:00.  There were more than 15 food banks and charities that arrived in cars, pickup trucks, box trucks and semis. 

More than 108,000 ears of corn ended up on the plates of the hungry.

Berry Plastics supplies cater ware, cutlery and trash bags to Sodexo.  It is companies like Sodexo and Berry Plastics that help inspire others to make a difference.

It happens every year about this time – the requests to the Sodexo dietitians start pouring in: “How can my family and I avoid weight gain during the holidays?” Years ago, this time period meant the five weeks between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day. Because of treat-rich Halloween, this holiday time period has increased, pounding both kids and parents with three full months of “sweet” opportunities. You thought costumes, cobwebs and the tricks were the biggest part of Halloween? Well, think again – it’s the treats! According to an estimate by the National Retail Federation, Americans spent almost two billion dollars on Halloween candy last year. 

While no one wants to be a bad apple, consider that childhood obesity has nearly tripled since 1980. Is there any doubt that candy can contribute to weight gain in children, or that additional pounds can negatively impact their health? Several studies indicate that being overweight contributes to more than 20 chronic diseases that are now manifesting in children and teenagers. These are serious, lifelong illnesses like type 2 diabetes, previously seen only in adults. Because they require additional health care, these diseases raise medical costs, taking their toll on not just the health of the individual, but also the U.S. economy.

At Sodexo, we have a commitment to health and well-being for our employees, clients and customers. We serve and promote healthy food options, and we also encourage regular physical activity, not only for children but for all age groups. 

While the causes of childhood obesity are numerous and complicated, perhaps its widespread emergence indicates that it is time to rethink holiday snacks, starting with Halloween. Buying the smaller “fun size” candy can be an easy introduction to portion control. In addition, there is an emerging trend towards giving children healthier treats, such as raisins, granola bars or pretzels. Some people are even handing out non-food treats like small games, puzzles and stickers. In addition, parents can place limits on their children’s Halloween stashes, like keeping five favorites and giving away or discarding the rest.

It can be very simple actions that keep the sweet spirit of the holidays alive, without turning them sour.

Since the Marine Corps Marathon began in 1976, the race has been a symbol of endurance and hope. The course takes runners on a historic tour of our nation’s capitol, passing landmarks that speak to the bravery and sacrifice made by our armed forces in their continuing commitment to ensure America’s freedom.  One of the most inspirational of these monuments marks the race’s end: the Iwo Jima Memorial.

This famous statue, which honors Marine Corps members killed in battle, depicts an incident during World War II.  Five intrepid Marines and a Navy corpsman heroically raised an American flag on the small island of Iwo Jima, near Tokyo. The statue shows the men leaning into the task together, working as a team.

This kind of support and cooperation is everywhere you look at the Marine Corps Marathon, nicknamed “The People’s Marathon.” This year’s three-day event, October 23-25, is expected to draw about 30,000 runners in three races, the 26.2 mile marathon, a new 10K race, and the MCM Healthy Kids Fun Run.

During the race, as athletes push themselves past exhaustion, supporters gather along the routes to cheer them on.  Along with the many Marines who are present, these spectators inspire and support runners.  They encourage them to find and tap reserves of energy to reach the finish line.

For the second year in a row, Sodexo proudly serves as the official food service provider for the MCM, feeding more than 700 VIP's, and providing 30,000 bags filled with healthy snacks for the runners. In addition, Sodexo’s registered dietitian, Tina Reddington, talks about sensible nutrition and running at the MCM Health and Fitness Expo on Friday, October 23.  And finally, Sodexo also proudly sponsors the affiliated MCM Healthy Kids Fun Run, scheduled for Saturday, October 24.

News stories often show triumphant runners who have successfully completed their races. But for additional inspiration, I recommend coming to cheer on the littlest athletes at Saturday’s Healthy Kids Fun Run.  The race has grown to attract about 3,000 kids, ages 6-13.  They run in the one-mile event just for fun.  At the finish line, they get a t-shirt, a medal and snacks provided by Sodexo.

Last year, I remember one little girl in particular. She had physical challenges, but she was determined to finish the race. By the end, she had a whole crowd of Marines running alongside her cheering her on. At the finish line, her father hugged her, and then scooped her up onto his shoulders. I will never forget the look of triumph on that little girl’s face.

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During one of my recent morning jogs – it’s amazing the thinking that comes up during those – this question popped up: “Is Recognition an Art or a Science?”.  Obviously this relates to our current focus at Sodexo Motivation Solutions on developing solutions to support organizations in their reward and recognition needs. I was puzzled myself.  The business side of me wants it to be a Science so that we can try to master and provide such expertise to our clients. The other side of me though hopes it is an Art: it is not easy to recognize properly, but when it is done well, what an impact it can achieve.  Still there is no unique recipe to it… So if it is a Science, it has to be an Art also. The Dictionary provided some more insights: Science comes from the Latin for “knowledge” applied in a systematic practice. And Art “is the process or product of deliberately arranging elements in a way that appeals to the senses or emotions”.

I was quite pleased with my compromising answer then to the question: it is both.  But that felt too easy.  The next day I challenged our whole Motivation Solutions team with the question.  The tally of answers was eloquent: we are very accommodating!  13 out of 17 answers felt it is both an Art and a Science; and the other 4 felt it is more an Art.

Some words stood out from the responses.

For the Art: Implementing a “culture of recognition is an art”; it “feeds the needs of the soul” and “it’s meaning is unique to the recipient”; While “there is no unique formula that works every time on every one”, “good managers know instinctively” how to recognize.

For the Science: “true recognition should be based more on fact than emotion”, “be comprehensive and consistent”; it “fulfills our human need for validation” and targets how we “respond to positive recognition”.

This may sum it all: it requires “balance”.

In closing, I’d like hereby to “recognize” our team for all their excellent input, and welcome your comments!

Happy National School Lunch Week! Perhaps there are no holiday cards to honor this event, but in the world of Sodexo School Services and our thousands of clients and customers, this is a BIG deal and worthy of talking about. Each year, 5.2 billion school lunches are served in 99,000 schools. That makes about 31 million meals a day, and Sodexo serves more than 2.5 million of those nutritious meals each day to students and teachers across the country. Our customers have come to expect the best food, the best quality and the best choices in their school cafeterias. To us, providing breakfast, lunch, after school snacks and yes, sometimes even dinner to our customers is our mission as well as our job. There is no arguing the link between good nutrition and student achievement; the facts are in and it’s indisputable.

Are you feeling guilty about not packing a brownbag lunch for your child? Don’t! Here’s what school lunch can do for your child:

1. Lunch keeps kids powered up throughout the day. Because the average meal takes no more than about four to five hours to digest, skipping lunch can cause a student to suffer from afternoon sluggishness. Your brain and working muscles need quality fuel every four to five hours with a mixture of carbohydrates, protein and healthy fats in the right portions. The school lunch program is designed to help students get the right mix of foods and nutrients to keep them shining all day long.

2. Eating lunch helps with weight maintenance. Some students may think they will skip lunch to conserve calories and hopefully lose weight. This technique usually backfires for many reasons. One, students tend to be ravenous later and then overeat calories later in the day. Two, the body becomes more efficient at storing body fat because it perceives it is being starved. Three, both mental and physical energy can suffer. This could mean that performance on the big exam or during the big game could be seriously compromised by skipping meals. It’s not worth it to skip.

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