More than 365 guests attended the black-tie dinner at London’s Royal Garden Hotel. The event was the grand finale to the year’s STOP Hunger activities, a campaign that aims to tackle poor nutrition in local communities across the UK and Ireland.
The evening was also used to celebrate the support of Sodexo employees who went above and beyond to help the campaign. Debbie White, chief executive for Sodexo UK & Ireland, presented Wendy Van Ginkel from Purchasing and Julie Milthorp, Corporate Services in Scotland, with the Merit Award. Meanwhile, Ian Pullan and Lucy Heffer from Defence received the Charity Champion Award for raising £80,000 for STOP Hunger, exceeding their annual target of £45,000.
Fundraising activities included bike rides, supplier golf days, charity balls, raffles and getting teams to sign up to Sodexo’s Charity Change scheme where employees donate the pennies from their net monthly salary.
The evening culminated in an auction that raised an impressive £14,350. Lots included prizes ranging from tickets to Royal Ascot with full Sodexo hospitality, dinner cooked by Sodexo’s top culinary chefs at home for 12 guests, to the exceptional experience of following an ‘étape’ of the Tour de France 2013 in a VIP car behind the riders. There was also a raffle to win a night for two at the Royal Garden Hotel.
Phil Hooper, Sodexo’s corporate affairs director and chair of the Sodexo Foundation, the registered charity behind STOP Hunger in the UK and Ireland, said: “We have exceeded all expectations with the amount raised by the annual dinner; I am grateful to all those who contributed to this success and to our employees who commit their time and energy over the year to raise money and volunteer.”