Providence College and Sodexo To Open Central Kitchen That Will Serve Cranston Field Hospital
PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND, APRIL 24, 2020: Providence College and its food service provider Sodexo have teamed up to assist Rhode Island State Government in its response to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.
The College will be providing the use of Raymond Dining Hall, its primary, on-campus dining facility for students, to Sodexo for the purpose of transforming it into a central kitchen. That kitchen will then provide food service for patients and staff of the state-run field hospital on Sockanosset Crossroad in Cranston. Sodexo expects to be able to provide three meals a day for up to 450 people from this location.
The meals will be packaged, cold food in the form of sandwiches and salads. Sodexo staff will work with their counterparts at Kent Hospital to be sure these meals meet the specific dietary requirements of the patients and staff at the field hospital. Sodexo personnel will be handling all aspects of food preparation and packaging, as well as delivery to the field hospital site. The central kitchen will be up and running by early in the week of April 27.
“Providence College is pleased to work with Sodexo, our long-time food service provider on campus, in an effort to pitch in and provide assistance to Governor Raimondo and her team as they help guide Rhode Island through this pandemic, ” said Providence College President Rev. Brian J. Shanley, O.P. “Repurposing our dining hall into this central kitchen will greatly assist state efforts at the Cranston field hospital when it is needed to house patients in the coming weeks.”
“At this critical time, Sodexo is joining forces with Providence College to leverage our food service expertise and team members to support the Cranston field hospital,” explained Cal Thetford, COO, Universities East, Sodexo. “We are proud to contribute to the health, safety and well-being of the communities we serve during this pandemic.”
Founded in 1917, Providence College is the only college or university in the United States administered by the Dominican Friars. The Catholic, liberal arts college has an undergraduate enrollment of approximately 4,000 students and offers degrees in 52 academic majors and 38 minors. Since 1997, Providence College consistently has been ranked among the top five regional universities in the North according to U.S. News & World Report’s “America’s Best Colleges.”
Sodexo North America is part of a global, Fortune 500 company with a presence in 67 countries. Sodexo is a leading provider of integrated food, facilities management and other services that enhance organizational performance, contribute to local communities and improve quality of life for millions of customers in corporate, education, healthcare, senior living, sports and leisure, government and other environments daily. The company employs 160,000 people at 13,500 sites in all 50 U.S. states and Canada, and indirectly supports tens of thousands of additional jobs through its annual purchases of $17B in goods and services from small to large businesses. Sodexo is committed to supporting diversity and inclusion and safety, while upholding the highest standards of corporate responsibility and ethical business conduct. In support of local communities across the U.S., in 2019, the Sodexo Stop Hunger Foundation mobilized 37,000 Sodexo volunteers to distribute 3.2 million meals to help 2.3 million children and adults meet their immediate food needs. Since 1996, the Stop Hunger Foundation has contributed $34.5 million to help feed children in America impacted by hunger. To learn more about Sodexo, visit US.Sodexo.com and connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter and YouTube.
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