Sodexho Foundation Provides $150,000 Grant to
The United Negro College Fund

(AFRICAN AMERICAN NEWSWIRE)WASHINGTON, D.C. William H. Gray, III, president and chief executive officer of the United Negro College Fund (UNCF) Inc., announced today that the Sodexho Foundation, the charitable arm of the nation's leading provider of food and facilities management services, has donated $150,000 to fund UNCF scholarships for college students in need of financial assistance.

"On behalf of the United Negro College Fund and the students who now will gain the opportunity to attend college, I am honored to accept this grant from the Sodexho Foundation," Gray said. "This funding will enable many of our most promising young people to receive a college education, helping them to reach their full potential as individuals and as citizens of our nation."

"For more than five decades, the United Negro College Fund has made the dream of higher education a reality for thousands of students in this country, and as the largest provider of services to historically black colleges, Sodexho is very proud and pleased we can contribute to this important effort," said Sodexho President and CEO Michel Landel, in presenting the grant today at the company's headquarters in Gaithersburg, MD. "The Sodexho Foundation is committed to fighting hunger in our society and ensuring that all our young people have the necessary educational opportunities to enable them to provide for their families."

The Sodexho grant will fund scholarships awarded to financially disadvantaged students attending one of the nation's historically black colleges and universities. Recipients of the scholarships must maintain a grade point average of 3.0 or above (on a 4 point scale) and demonstrate involvement in programs dedicated towards fighting hunger.

For Sodexho employees, many of whom contribute to the foundation, today's donation was particularly meaningful because UNCF announced last year that it would provide full college scholarships for the children of Benjamin "Keefe" Clark, the Sodexho chef who died in the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center.

Children of 9-11 victims are eligible to receive a full scholarship to any of UNCF's 39 member colleges and universities. Scholarships cover the cost of tuition, fees, room and board, books and supplies.

About the United Negro College Fund

Founded in 1944, the United Negro College Fund is the nation's oldest and most successful minority higher education assistance organization in the country. Its mission is to enhance the quality of education by providing financial assistance to deserving students, raising operating funds for UNCF's 39 member colleges and universities, and increasing access to technology for students and faculty. UNCF administers more than 450 scholarships and fellowships to students and faculty who attend UNCF member colleges and universities, other historically black colleges and universities (HBCU's) and majority institutions throughout the country. In its 58-year history, UNCF has raised nearly $2 billion to promote higher education achievement and has helped more than 300,000 students earn undergraduate and graduate degrees. For more information about UNCF, visit www.uncf.org.

About Sodexho and the Sodexho Foundation

Sodexho is the leading provider of food and facilities management in the U.S. and Canada, with $5.5 billion in annual sales. Sodexho offers innovative outsourcing solutions in food service, housekeeping, grounds keeping, plant operations and maintenance, asset and materials management, and laundry services to more than 6,000 corporations, health care, long term care and retirement centers, schools, college campuses, military and remote sites in North America. Headquartered in Gaithersburg, MD, Sodexho is a proud endorser of the Global Sullivan Principles for Corporate Responsibility www.globalsullivanprinciples.org.

The Sodexho Foundation is an independent charitable organization founded in 1999 to support initiatives that focus on eliminating the root causes of hunger in the U.S. The foundation receives the majority of its funding from Sodexho, with additional financial support provided by Sodexho employees (whose donations are matched dollar for dollar by the company), as well as clients, customers and vendor-sponsored retail promotions. The company pays all administrative costs of the foundation to ensure that all money raised is directed to those in need.