Economic Crisis

Montréal, July 21, 2009 - This summer, 700 underprivileged children will receive a free lunch thanks to the Feeding Our Future lunch program now in its 9th year. When the program ends next August 21, 30,000 lunches will have been distributed by Sodexo in collaboration with the Moisson Montréal food bank. Recognizing that families have been hardest hit this year as a result of the economic crisis, Sodexo has decided to increase its production of daily lunches by 50 percent.

 “This represents an increase of 10,000 lunches over last year. The situation is attributable to the current economic condition,” explains Ms. Denise Bernachez, marketing manager for Sodexo Québec.” Job losses combined with rising food prices during the past year have resulted in a significant increase in food aid. By providing more lunches this summer however more children will be adequately fed.”

At least one third of the people supported by Moisson Montréal and its network are children. With the Feeding Our Future program, the organization is in a position to reach the youth who are the target group most at-risk. “The Sodexo Foundation and Moisson Montréal have been working together for 9 years to fight hunger and reduce poverty. This year, in addition to an observable increase in the number of requests, we note a drop in donations. Partnerships such as ours are valuable to all concerned,” adds Ms. Johanne Théroux, CEO of Moisson Montréal.

Health Menu and Educational Workshops

The Feeding Our Future program benefits hundreds of young people aged 4 to 12 who participate in summer camps sponsored by community organizations and supplied year-round by Moisson Montréal: Assistance enfants en difficulté, Centre communautaire Hochelaga, Maisonnette des parents, La Place des enfants, Chic Resto-Pop, Centre Naha, Centre sportif de la Petite-Bourgogne, Centre Jean-Claude Malépart, Répit-Providence et L'Oasis des enfants de Rosemont.

Meals are prepared daily by Sodexo volunteers. “As a registered dietitian, I have been involved with providing healthy lunches for children. In addition to receiving free lunches, hundreds of underprivileged youth can now participate in workshops on nutrition to learn the basics of healthy eating,” adds Dr. Isabelle Huot. Nutritionist, host and author, Dr. Huot, DT.P, PHD, is spokesperson for the 3rd consecutive year.

Faithful Partners
Sodexo is pleased to be able to count on the unfailing support of partners such as Multi-Marques, Maple Leaf, Olymel, Kraft, Parmalat, Lassonde Beverages, Quaker, Hector Larrivée, Pathway, Distal, Shafer Haggart, Canbra Foods and Unilever who provide free of charge part of the food for meals. Kraft and the Ville de Montréal also support the program by way of financial donations. The Old Brewery Mission provides generous distribution of lunches and the Collège Jean-de-Brébeuf opens its kitchen facilities for the summer. These partnerships have been the driving force behind the success of the Feeding Our Future program over the last 9 years.

Feeding Our Future Program
Founded in 2000 by the Sodexo Foundation, the Feeding Our Future program offers free meals during the summer to children who receive subsidized meals throughout the school year. In addition to providing part of the food for making lunches, Moisson Montréal is mandated with the selection of day camps that will most benefit from the program and will ensure a link between Sodexo and the camps. Besides Montréal, this program is also operational in seven other Canadian cities this year: Toronto, Ottawa, Halifax, Vancouver, Winnipeg, Calgary and Hamilton. Last year, 100,000 meals were distributed across the country. Please visit http://www.sodexo.ca/ (ENG / Corporate Citizenship /Sodexo Foundation)

Moisson Montréal
Founded in 1984, Moisson Montréal will celebrate its 25th anniversary of community service work in 2009. Moisson Montréal gathers and redistributes free of charge foodstuffs and essential products throughout the year to 210 community agencies on the island of Montréal thus reaching 112,000 people, 36,000 of those children, every month. Moisson Montréal is the largest food bank in Canada. www.moissonmontreal.org.

Sodexo Canada
Sodexo is a world leader in food services and facilities management. Sodexo offers innovative outsourcing solutions in food services, housekeeping, grounds keeping, plant operation and maintenance, asset and materials management, and laundry services. This wide range of services is offered to corporations, health care and long term care facilities, schools, college and university campuses, military and remote sites. With Canadian Headquarters in Burlington, Ontario, the company has 12,000 employees in 300 locations. Sodexo Canada has been awarded the Gold level certification for the Progressive Aboriginal Relations (PAR) with the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business (CCAB).

Sodexo has more than 355,000 employees on 30,600 sites in 80 countries. Committed to corporate citizenship, Sodexo has a foundation whose mission involves the fight against hunger and malnutrition affecting an estimated 5 million people in Canada. Sodexo is the proud sponsor of the Global Sullivan Principles for corporate responsibility.