GAITHERSBURG, Md., November 29, 2011 – The Sodexo Foundation, the anti-hunger charitable arm of Sodexo, Inc., announces the final week for accepting applications for the Stephen J. Brady STOP Hunger Scholarship program. The application period closes December 5, 2011.Up to five students will be selected as national winners. Each will receive a $5,000 scholarship award and a matching $5,000 grant in their name for the hunger charity of their choice. In addition, up to 20 students will earn regional recognition, with a $1,000 donation in their name to the hunger charity of their selection.”There are 16.2 million children living in food insecure homes in the United States. That is one in five children,” said Robert A. Stern, president of the Sodexo Foundation. “As a result of job scarcity and an unstable economy, children at risk of hunger are emerging in food insecure homes and neighborhoods where we least expect it.”

The Stephen J. Brady STOP Hunger Scholarships recognize students, who are driving awareness and mobilizing youth to be catalysts for innovative solutions to eliminate hunger in America. First introduced in 2007, the scholarships support the education of young people who are working to end hunger in communities across the country – and draw attention to the innovative and effective solutions that they are implementing toward ending hunger in their lifetime.

“It was amazing to be selected for this honor. My first thought was the joy of presenting the $5,000 grant to Carroll County Food Sunday and all the people it will help feed,” said Travis Robinson, a 2011 recipient of the Stephen J. Brady STOP Hunger Scholarship, who had helped collect more than 31,000 pounds of food donations for his local food bank in Carroll County, Maryland.

To be eligible, students must be enrolled in an accredited education institution (kindergarten through graduate school) in the United States and be able to demonstrate an ongoing commitment to hunger-relief activities in their community.

The deadline for applications is December 5, 2011. The 2012 Stephen J. Brady Scholarship recipients will be announced on June 14, 2012 at the annual Sodexo Foundation Dinner in Washington, D.C. For a complete description of the program or to apply, please visit www.SodexoFoundation.org.

The Sodexo 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 fuel  a healthy, productive life. To make a contribution to the fight against hunger or for more information, please visit www.SodexoFoundation.org.

About Sodexo