WASHINGTON, June 14, 2012 /PRNewswire/ — While hunger continues to affect a growing population in communities across America, a mobilized youth culture may well be the key to the solution. Students from kindergarten to graduate school are actively engaged in service-oriented volunteer work, many of them focused on eliminating hunger. Rebecca Fawns, a high school senior from Corvallis, Mont. is a perfect example. Tonight she will be recognized at the 13th Annual Sodexo Foundation Dinner in Washington, D.C. as a national 2012 Stephen J. Brady STOP Hunger Scholarship recipient for her work with Community Cooking Connections (CCC). As part of that recognition, Fawns will receive a $5,000 scholarship and a $5,000 matching grant presented in her name to the hunger-related charity of her choice, Corvallis Methodist Church to support CCC.

Fawn’s idea for Community Cooking Connections first came to her after she was invited to speak at a 4-H event about family mealtime. The twelfth-grade student was convinced that having teens run a similar event would be an effective way to increase involvement—she was right. Since creating Community Cooking Connections in 2005, Fawns has managed volunteers that contributed more than 9,100 hours and served more than 7,000 meals to school-age youth and families in need.

“Most people don’t even realize the extent of childhood hunger in our country, or that ‘food insecure’ families may be living right next door,” said Robert A. Stern, Chair, Sodexo Foundation. “Only by driving awareness at the local and national levels can we even get to the point of implementing change, and that’s exactly what students like Rebecca are doing.”

Leading a team of both adults and teen volunteers, Fawns has helped raise more than $30,000 for Community Cooking Connections through bake sales, grants, awards and just by sharing the story of her work with others who were moved to make donations. Her work has also inspired award recognition, including the Prudential Community Service Award, 4-H State Leadership & Nutrition Award, a Gold Level Presidential Community Award and twice being named a STOP Hunger Regional Honoree in 2010 and 2011.

“I believe everyone deserves to be served with a smile and warmly welcomed to a healthy meal no matter what the situation is,” says Fawns.

Also named as national Stephen J. Brady STOP Hunger Scholarship recipients for 2012 are: Peyton Medick of Weston, Wis. (8th Grader), Alexander Epstein of New York, N.Y. (College Junior), Ruthi Solari of Solana Beach, Calif. (Graduate Student) and Camille Posard of Encinitas, Calif. (High School Senior).

In addition to the national scholarship recipients, 20 Stephen J. Brady STOP Hunger Regional Honorees will each receive a $1,000 grant in their name to support the hunger-related charity of their choice. The 2012 regional honorees are:

The Stephen J. Brady STOP Hunger Scholarship is named for Sodexo Foundation’s founder and former president, who was an unstoppable champion in the fight to end hunger. Thanks to Steve’s efforts, which made these scholarships possible, an emerging generation of leaders now joins the fight against hunger. To date, Sodexo Foundation has recognized 90 STOP Hunger Regional Honorees with grants totaling $90,000 for their hunger-relief charities. In addition, it has awarded 30 students with $260,000 in scholarships and matching grants for the hunger-relief charities of their choice.

ABOUT SODEXO’S FIGHT AGAINST HUNGER
Sodexo Inc. and Sodexo Foundation work to help end hunger in the United States. Sodexo Foundation is an independent 501(c)(3) non-profit with the mission to end childhood hunger. The foundation works to ensure that every child in the United States, especially those most at-risk, grows up with dependable access to enough nutritious food to enable them to lead a healthy, productive life. Sodexo Foundation cultivates and maintains strategic partnerships with regional and national hunger relief entities and youth mobilization organizations—all part of Sodexo’s STOP Hunger Initiative, its global program to end hunger and malnutrition in the communities where it operates. Sodexo is headquartered in Gaithersburg, Md. and funds all administrative costs for Sodexo Foundation, which since 1999 has made more than $17 million in grants to end childhood hunger. Visit www.SodexoFoundation.org for more information.

SOURCE Sodexo, Inc.