Record year for Sodexo Stop Hunger’s National Volunteers’ Week activity
The Sodexo Stop Hunger Foundation has marked National Volunteers’ Week 2025 by recording its highest number of volunteering hours for the annual event. Around 200 volunteers recorded over 1,000 volunteering hours between 2-6 June, in what is the Stop Hunger Foundation’s 20th anniversary year.
Sodexo’s volunteering policy enables its employees to take three paid volunteering days each year supporting those who are most in need in our communities. Every year, the Foundation marks National Volunteers’ Week by offering Sodexo colleagues the chance to volunteer at a range of sessions specifically organised over the week in partnership with its charity partners.
This year the Foundation and its long-term charity partner, Trussell, arranged the charity’s biggest volunteering drive with sessions organised for Sodexo’s colleagues, clients and supply partners at food banks in the charity’s community across the country, from Belfast, Glasgow and Liverpool to Bristol and London
In addition to this, a skills-based volunteering session was held at Sodexo’s head office in London on Friday 6 June. 29 colleagues and 19 supply chain partners took part in a procurement hackathon offering valuable guidance to Trussell on how it can maximise its supply chain and encourage donations of food parcels.
The Foundation has been supporting Trussell for around 15 years through Sodexo colleagues volunteering at local food banks and supermarkets as well as financial support.
In addition to this ongoing support the Foundation has also agreed to provide a financial grant of £50,000 a year for three years to support Trussell’s ‘Help through Hardship’ free phone service delivered in partnership with Citizens Advice. The helpline provides advice with areas such as ensuring people are getting all the social security payments and grants they are eligible for and can refer people to further support.
We are really grateful to Sodexo's Stop Hunger Foundation for supporting Trussell and our community of food banks.
Food bank teams are working tirelessly to help people unable to afford the essentials and thanks to the generosity of partners like Stop Hunger, they can continue to provide vital emergency support in their communities, while we work together to end the need for food banks in the UK.
Thank you.
Trussell wasn’t the only charity supported last week; Stop Hunger volunteer sessions were also held with Abernecessities in Scotland, The Bread and Butter Thing in Manchester and Co-Farm community farm in Cambridge. At Co-Farm, Stop Hunger patron, Asma Khan, joined a group of 30 volunteers.
As we look back on an amazing week, I’d like to extend my heartfelt thanks to every colleague and partner who spent time volunteering with our charity partners last week whether that was supporting at food banks or lending a hand behind the scenes. It is their efforts, whether supporting food banks or lending a hand behind the scenes, which make a real difference.
Personally, I was proud to kick off Volunteers’ Week at Co-Farm in Cambridge where I joined colleagues, supply partners and Stop Hunger patron, Asma Khan. We had a great day helping with gardening tasks from planting and harvesting crops, watering, weeding and trimming and preparing produce which is donated to eight community food hubs to support families in the Cambridge area.
The Sodexo Stop Hunger Foundation, a UK-registered charity, is an employee-led initiative and a key enabler of Sodexo’s Social Impact Pledge, delivering impact for the most disadvantaged communities.
In January 2025 the Foundation announced Asma Khan as its first patron. Owner of the Darjeeling Express restaurant in London, Asma is also the chef advocate for the UN World Food Programme. As patron, Asma brings valuable support and inspiration to the Foundation’s work. Asma and the Foundation are committed to championing initiatives that address the root causes of food insecurity, including skills development, resource accessibility, and community empowerment.
Since it was founded in 2005 the Sodexo Stop Hunger Foundation has supported more than 9.6 million beneficiaries through 230 charity partners across over 56 cities and regions, distributing more than £6.4 million in grants. Thanks to Sodexo’s financial support, 100% of the donations made to Stop Hunger are directed towards charitable partners.
Find out more about Stop Hunger Foundation