Heroes of Everyday Life - 2006
Every year, our Heroes of Everyday Life® are honored for the work they do to help others. We are extremely proud of the good our 2006 Heroes have done.
Maureen Brown, Sr. Manager Operations Support
Sodexo Campus Services, Bloomington, IN
Some people help because they are asked; others believe in helping and take it personally. Maureen Brown belongs to the latter group. Since 2002, 74,000 pounds of food have been donated to the Hoosier Hills Food Bank through a surplus food donation program organized by Maureen. Maureen’s dedication inspires volunteers to participate in a monthly Sodexo Repack program that she coordinates at the Food Bank. Maureen has also served on the Board of Directors for the Hoosier Hills Food Bank for more than five years. Recently she was appointed President of the Board, where she created their first strategic plan.
Mike Bush, Sodexo Chef Manager
Creighton University, Omaha, NE
In the spirit of the Sodexo Foundation, Mike Bush feeds his community with physical sustenance. In the same spirit, he feeds them intellectually. In partnership with the Visiting Nurse Association and Share Our Strength, Mike spent ten weeks educating the Ponca Tribe of Nebraska about health and nutrition. More recently, Mike recruited two Sodexo chefs to help him teach Club Possible, a comprehensive physical activity and nutrition program aimed at teaching healthy eating habits to more than 1,000 at risk youth in the Omaha area.
John Chirichello, Sodexo Chef Manager
Montclair State University, Montclair, NJ
John Chirichello understands that in the fight against hunger, knowledge is half the battle. For the past five years, as a volunteer Community Kitchen® Chef Instructor, he has trained hundreds of low-income men and women to master culinary skills while preparing them with job readiness techniques and life skills. John’s commitment to excellence is evident—Sodexo has hired many graduates of this program. John also conducts mock interviews, helps with resume building and supports the Sodexo-sponsored Advanced Culinary Certificate, a continuing education program for the Community Foodbank of New Jersey's Community Kitchen.
Jerome Comi, Sodexo Operations Manager
Christ Hospital, Jersey City, NJ
Just as a painter manipulates colors to create visual art, a chef combines flavors to create culinary art. In the fight against hunger, Chef Jerry Comi initiates innovative hunger prevention programs. Jerry’s ingenuity prompted him to create “Cooking for Kids,” a 24-hour cooking marathon that produced over 10,000 pounds of food for the Kids Cafés, an after-school program for low-income children. For more than five years Jerry has fundraised, taught culinary job training classes and supported special events for at-risk families and children at the foodbank. More recently, as part of the Sodexo-sponsored Advanced Culinary Certificate classes, Jerry created the curriculum for the life and job portions of the program.
Tony DeSanctis, Sodexo Area General Manager
United Health Services, Johnson City, NY
Great ideas are the offspring of necessity. In 2000, Tony DeSanctis started implementing Stone Soup, a program that makes soup from the unusable but edible pieces of vegetables from production. Tony solicited the support of two Sodexo kitchens to implement a program that has provided 8,800 bowls of soup a year for the Food Bank of the Southern Tier. He then formed another partnership with the hospitals’ community relations teams, raising awareness for the fight against hunger and more recently established the 1st Annual Empty Bowls fundraiser, which raised more than $6,800.
Jack Martin, Sodexo Executive Chef
Erlanger Medical Center, Chattanooga, TN
Those who know Jack Martin agree that he inspires those around him to do their best, be their best, and give the best of their abilities. Every week since 2001, Jack has prepared nutritious meals for 35 children at the local Kids Café, a program that provides free meals and snacks to low-income children. To date, Jack has prepared more than 9,100 meals. Along with feeding the kids in his community, Jack takes this opportunity to provide them with nutrition education.
George Moran, Sodexo Executive Chef
Caritas Norwood Hospital, Norwood, MA
The mission to STOP hunger is a ministry to George Moran. He demonstrates this by providing hot meals for more than 125 low-income people on the first Wednesday of every month at a local church. Since 2001, George has managed the entire program, including fundraising, coordinating, cooking, and serving the meals. Super Bowl Sunday gives George an opportunity to coordinate a food drive to sustain the monthly feeding program. Reinforcing his efforts at church, George supports the Sodexo Servathon by helping to organize the annual Food Drive at the Caritas Norwood Hospital.
SD Terry, Jr., Sodexo Production Lead
Xavier University, Cincinnati, OH
The church serves as a backbone of faith and service in many communities. The New Hope Baptist Church provides this central point for the communities in which SD Terry, Jr. lives and works. Every Wednesday for the last 20 years, SD has prepared meals for 100 needy people. In addition to providing meals, SD helps ensure a successful future for community members by providing culinary job training, and gives his protégés opportunities to utilize their culinary skills at events he caters in his personal time.
Congratulations to all for helping to make a difference in the communities we serve.
