Kellie Kinsella

Until going to college, I had never truly understood the value of education.  Going to school was something that I knew had to do every day because that’s what you’re supposed to do when you’re a kid.  Right?  Throughout elementary school, junior high, and high school, I always took for granted the information that was taught or the experiences that were provided to me on a regular basis.   Going to college made me realize that receiving a quality education is not something that is a right, but rather a privilege. The opportunities that I am given at the University of Illinois at Urbana/Champaign astound me with each day that I continue to be a student. 

The experiences that I have received for the past two years learning about interesting topics in the classroom, forcing myself to collaborate on group projects with people I barely know, and becoming active in my sorority, have been ones that could not be obtained anywhere else. 

Even something so trivial as living in a dorm room with people your own age has taught me how to take care of myself without my mom or dad telling me to finish my homework or how to separate my whites from my darks.  With each day that I am here, I feel more and more prepared for what’s to come in the real world.

However, getting the opportunity to study at a campus as phenomenal as this one would not be possible without the monetary support that I have received from Sodexo.  Financing my higher education in this economy has been quite a challenge.  I cannot express my gratitude to Sodexo enough for helping me to take full advantage of my educational privilege.  Not only are they helping to pay the bills, but the encouragement from an organization that shares the same values about fighting hunger in the world as I do, helps me to know that my goals and dreams are realistic. 

The more education that I can receive, the more equipped I will be to continue the hunger fight and start solving problems. Thank you to Sodexo for making my higher educational experience possible.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Kellie wrote this blog as part American Education Week, which emphasizes the importance of providing every child in America with a quality public education. Kellie is attending the University of Illinois thanks in part to a STOP Hunger Scholarship from the Sodexo Foundation. She was selected because of the outstanding work she already has done to stop hunger. Read more about Kellie’s efforts to stop hunger.

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.

Desiree de la Torre, MPH

I am earning my Masters in Business Administration from the Johns Hopkins Carey Business School in Baltimore, Maryland. Like other students, I’m very aware of the fact that the economy has had a big impact on business and that many of us are hoping that there is a place in the business world for us when we graduate. But, we’re also concerned about the kind of company we work for. Even in this economy – maybe even more so in this economy – it’s important to me that the company I work for have concern for its employees and ethics. The situation right now, with a lot of companies going under and having so many business issues, seems to be an underlying problem of ethics. A lot of companies are suddenly talking about their codes of ethics, but they seem reactive. I would hope they would have been doing these things all along.

So, to see a company that has focused all along on codes of conduct is appealing.

I recently went to hear a speech by George Chavel, Sodexo’s CEO. He was speaking as part of the Carey Business School Leaders & Legends lecture series.

While I’m earning my Masters, I’m working with Johns Hopkins Health System to increase access to care for some of Baltimore’s poorest residents. Originally, I wanted to become a physician and I was interested in public health. I realized that the research I was intending to do wasn’t quick enough for me and that I wanted to make a difference much more quickly. That led to a hospital management fellowship with the Johns Hopkins Health System.

I was interested in hearing what Mr. Chavel would have to say about how a big company like Sodexo was handling the kinds of issues that concern me. I feel that more companies are taking an ethical concern in the environment and health care and it’s great to hear that large companies, like Sodexo, are doing that.

We students do have a bit of cynicism about promises from big companies. At the Cary Business School, we’re taught that you’re concerned not only with yourself, but also concerned for the world around you. For big companies not to be concerned about how their actions affect other things, concerns young people in business schools. That’s one of the reasons I enjoyed the speech.

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