Chapter One is a charity aimed at improving educational outcomes, addressing a root cause of food insecurity. Sodexo’s volunteering policy enables its employees to take three paid volunteering days each year supporting those who are in need of help.
Since September 2023, Sodexo employees have chalked up over 1,400 30-minute reading sessions with children aged 5-8 across 15 schools in: Bradford, Doncaster, East Sussex, Glasgow, London, Manchester and Middlesbrough. By the end of the academic year this will rise to over 2,000 sessions.
Sean Haley, chief executive of Sodexo UK & Ireland and Stop Hunger Foundation trustee, said: “We are committed to improving the communities where we work, serve and live. By providing a diverse range of volunteering opportunities we empower our colleagues to directly contribute to combating food insecurity in their local community.
“The Chapter One reading programme is an excellent example of this and has been very popular. By volunteering to spend just 30 minutes a week our colleagues are making a significant and measurable impact on literacy development, creating educational opportunities and future success.”
In November 2023 in conjunction with Sodexo’s Parents and Carers employee network, Stop Hunger and Chapter One launched a story-writing competition for Sodexo employees and their families.
Authored by Victoria Eames, from Sodexo’s procurement arm Entegra, the winning story Cooking Pot Woods has been professionally illustrated and a small number of copies published.