UNIVERSITY NEWS | Breaking bread, as the saying goes, is the time-tested way to connect with others.
In that spirit, 16 members of the Sodexo team at Loyola Marymount University, including staff, managers and chefs, took their food services to the Mar Vista Family Center for an old-fashioned barbecue. The visit is an annual event, since at least 2011.
About 100 people, including children and their parents, feasted on hamburgers, hot dogs, mac and cheeseburgers and watermelon slices. And it’s likely few missed the create-your-own ice cream station.
Connecting with the community is a priority of Sodexo, which endeavors to more broadly align its work with LMU’s mission. “I felt a sense of pride,” said Joan Chang, unit marketing specialist for Sodexo. “I could feel that pride from the team members, too. They were wearing LMU T-shirts and representing the university.” Sodexo has plans to take portable food services to other places where they can be of service, such as crisis centers, resource centers and community assistance centers.
The Mar Vista Family Center, located on Slauson Avenue in Culver City, was founded in 1977 as a preschool for low-income families that aimed to engage parents as partners in the education of their children, according to their website. The center operates in three main areas: early childhood education, youth, and community. These three program areas complement each other in a whole-family process, with age- and status-appropriate activities for all family members.
Chang said the Sodexo team’s genuine desire to be of service was clear. “It’s all about making the kids happy,” she said.
