Heroes of Everyday Life - 2009

Our 2009 Heroes of Everyday Life are recognized at the annual Sodexo Foundation Dinner for their contribution to help many of the 36.2 million people at risk of hunger in the United States. View highlights from the 2009 Sodexo Foundation Dinner.

Glen Berkel
District Manager – Senior Services – Johnson City, Tenn.
Every month Glen volunteers by coordinating the menu, preparing food and serving about 200 people for Good Samaritan Ministries. Since 2005, Glen and his family have served more than 7,000 meals and they continue to volunteer twice a month to sort clothing and food. He inspires others throughout his district to help STOP Hunger. One such effort resulted in a 500 pound donation of canned food for Second Harvest Food Bank of Northeast Tennessee.  Glen participates in annual mission trips in the U.S., helping repair roofs and build decks, painting houses, teaching bible lessons and mentoring children. View Glen's Story.

Teresa Byrne
General Manager – Corporate Services – Des Plaines, Ill.
Teresa was instrumental in developing an ongoing partnership with the Northern Illinois Food Bank Mobile Food Truck that has raised more than $5,000 since 2007.  Her enthusiasm for this project encourages more than 60 Sodexo managers and their families to volunteer their time delivering truckloads of food for 500 seniors in Colony Park and 500 families in need in Elgin, Illinois. She also leads a team of 100 co-workers and community members in a food drive that collected more than 6,500 pounds of food for the Greater Chicago Food Depository. For the past four years, Teresa takes charge of the kitchen at Lydia Home, a safe haven for troubled children, preparing and serving traditional holiday meals.  

Marilyn Conley
Cashier/Hostess – Campus Services – Bellingham, Mass.
As volunteer Director of the Medway Village Food Pantry, Marilyn’s leadership has enabled the pantry to keep up with a need that has expanded from serving 100 households in 2004 to 1,590 in 2008. Under her direction, the pantry now serves 21 towns in Massachusetts, providing 6,360 bags of food to children, adults and seniors.  In addition, Marilyn goes out of her way to make holidays more joyous and help families preserve their dignity by distributing special baskets of food and traditional treats for Thanksgiving and Easter. She also leverages the power of youth by engaging students at Dean College in annual food drives, including Sodexo’s Cans Across America initiative, leading the collection of 700 lbs of food in 2007 and 2008.

Gary Hutchinson
Vice President of Operations – Senior Services – Leola, Penn.
What sets Gary apart is his leadership, strategic planning, and enthusiasm to engage others to help STOP Hunger.  Since 2003, he continues to be instrumental in the successful development of the STOP Hunger program for the entire Sodexo Senior Services Division.  The spare change collection program he helped launch to support the Sodexo Foundation has raised more than $7,000 to date. He also supports many STOP Hunger golf tournaments raising a total of $6,000 and collecting more than 6,000 pounds of food for the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank. In addition, Gary guides the creation of numerous events such as bake sales, canned food drives, walk-a-thons and car washes, by engaging clients, residents and members of the community in the fight against hunger and its causes.

Paul Paltrineri
General Manager – Campus Services – Keene, N.H.
Paul serves as Chair of the Board for The Community Kitchen, the local food bank in Keene, which has provided 952,700 meals to 11,600 people. He helps plan, organize and staff a total of ten separate fundraisers resulting in donations of more than $700,000 to fight hunger.  Paul’s commitment and dedication are remarkable - while board members are expected to participate in as many fundraising events as possible, Paul has volunteered at every one since becoming a board member.  In addition, he volunteers his time to work with 130 managers and staff members to support specific Sodexo/Keene State College initiatives that support the food bank directly.

David Randle
Lead Cook – Corporate Services – Chicago, Ill.
For over a quarter century, David has cooked meals, supported food banks and enriched the lives of neighborhood children living in Chicago’s rough west side. Since 1988, David has made the holidays more joyous for homeless and needy children by preparing meals and playing Santa. He does the same for seniors by planning, ordering and supervising the cooking and serving of Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners for more than 500 guests. David continues to package and distribute school supplies for nearly 1,000 needy children each year as part of a back-to-school project he joined in 2000. He also provides the youngsters with a meal when they pick up their supplies.

Laurie Tutora
Cook and Food Service Associate – Corporate Services – St. Paul, Minn.
From her first days of employment at Sodexo in 2004, Laurie jumped on board with her department’s efforts to make it a better day for the less fortunate in her community.  She eagerly volunteers for STOP Hunger projects in her office, one of them affiliated with the Loaves and Fishes program at Creekside Community Center in Bloomington.  This nonprofit provides nutritious meals in an atmosphere of hospitality to those who are hungry in the Twin Cities.  Not only has Laurie served more than 5,000 meals to date – she also plays a key role in providing the food and warm atmosphere enjoyed by meal guests. 

Mike Wojtanowski 
Director, Customer Service and Support – Corporate Headquarters – Gilbert, Ariz.
Mike recruits and coordinates dozens of Sodexo volunteers to purchase, prepare and serve more than 14,000 meals to 900 people at the St. Vincent de Paul’s winter and spring dinners in Phoenix. Mike’s expertise and efforts have helped the organization meet the demand that has doubled over the last decade. Mike not only orchestrates delicious meals, he also includes an element of fun and special treats for the children and their families. He is also quick to support area STOP Hunger activities, including Servathon, and many events that increase awareness and raise money for the Sodexo Foundation.

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