Sodexo’s fundraising dinner raises £100,000 for STOP Hunger campaign

More than 370 guests attended the black-tie dinner which took place at London's Royal Garden Hotel on 3 October. The event was the final to the year's STOP Hunger fundraising activity, 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 two Sodexo employees who went above and beyond to help the campaign. Aidan Connolly, chief executive for Sodexo UK & Ireland, presented Allison Miller, from Sodexo's Scotland division, with the Charity Champion Award and Margo Newhouse, from Sodexo Defence, with the Merit Award. Allison Miller is Sodexo's manager at Langside College in Glasgow where she also supports her client by providing work experience opportunities to young people with special needs. She has increased Scotland's STOP Hunger fundraising twelve-fold in the space of a year. Margo Newhouse organised varied and original fundraising ideas to raise 222% of the original fundraising target for her region of Sodexo Defence. Fundraising activities included a sponsored waxing; a collection and sale of used recyclable aluminium drinks cans to a local recycling centre; sale of football cards; a sponsored balloon release and a World Cup sweepstake. An auction also took place which raised £50,000. Prizes ranged from tickets to Royal Ascot with full Sodexo hospitality to an elite dinner cruise on the Thames with Sodexo's Bateaux London business. Phil Hooper, Sodexo corporate affairs director and chair of the Sodexo Foundation, said: "We have exceeded all records with the amount raised by the annual dinner and 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."