11.02.2007 - 11:30am ET

(CSRwire) GAITHERSBURG, MD. - November 2, 2007 - Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley issued a proclamation recognizing Sodexho, Inc.'s commitment to corporate social responsibility - most notably its efforts through its philanthropic arm, the Sodexho Foundation, for leading the fight against hunger in the United States. The honor was presented to Sodexho Foundation President Stephen J. Brady at the company’s annual leadership conference last week.

The proclamation cited the Sodexho Foundation for its initiatives that focus on eliminating the root causes of hunger in the United States, where more than 35 million people, including 12 million children, suffer from food insecurity and hunger, and for its support and public/private partnerships that include the U.S. Conference of Mayors, America's Second Harvest - The Nation's Food Bank Network, Habitat for Humanity, Jumpstart and other organizations and institutions committed to breaking the cycle of poverty to fight hunger.

The proclamation also stated: "It is most appropriate for the people of Maryland and the citizens of the United States to join together to recognize the Sodexho Foundation has, in the last decade, raised over $9.2 million, engaged 33,000 Sodexho, Inc. employees each year to help STOP Hunger, and has prepared and donated more than 1,500,000 free summer lunches to children through Feeding Our Future bringing help and hope to people in the United States and the State of Maryland."

Governor O'Malley said, "Sodexho has been a major force for social and economic improvement in our state for many years. I commend the company and its leaders for continuing to keep their home state at the forefront of efforts, while managing a thriving global business."

A global company, Sodexho's North America headquarters are in Gaithersburg, Md. The company employs over 2,500 employees in Maryland. Recent Sodexho Foundation efforts in the area include providing 20,000 nutritious summer lunches to school children in Baltimore and Washington D.C. who rely on subsidized meals during the school year through the Feeding Our Future program. As well, through the Back-to-School Cereal Drive, Sodexho provided enough cereal to fill more than 19,255 bowls and enough milk to provide 476 servings to area families and children heading back to school at the beginning of this school year.

"Serving ten million customers a day, Sodexho is on a journey to improve the health and wellbeing of people and communities. We are committed to doing this by reducing the impact of waste on our environment, providing nutritious food, supporting local economies, conducting our business ethically, treating our employees respectfully and giving them opportunities to grow, minimizing the impact of hunger and its root causes, and overall, serving as a positive force for social change," said George Chavel, Sodexho President and CEO.

Sodexho is pleased to be listed on the Dow Jones Sustainability Index, World Index, and STOXX Sustainability Index for three consecutive years. Sodexho, Inc. (www.sodexhoUSA.com) is the leading provider of integrated food and facilities management services in the U.S., Canada and Mexico, with $7.3 billion (USD) in annual revenue and 125,000 employees. Sodexho serves more than ten million customers daily in corporations, health care, long term care and retirement centers, schools, college campuses, government and remote sites. Sodexho, Inc., headquartered in Gaithersburg, Md., is a subsidiary of Sodexho Alliance (www.sodexho.com). Sodexho, Inc. funds the Sodexho Foundation (www.helpstophunger.org), an independent charitable organization that, since its founding in 1999, has made more than $9.2 million in grants to fight hunger in America.

For more information please contact: