Blackrock company sleep out for for Focus Ireland’s Shine a Light Night

MORE than 20 Sodexo employees slept out in various locations in Dublin and nationwide on Friday, October 16, raising €14,000 for Focus Ireland and its ‘Shine a Light Night’ national fundraiser.

Senior management, chefs, account managers, head office employees and family members all bedded down in sleeping bags and tents in homes, gardens and other socially distanced spaces to support the charity.

It is Sodexo’s third year to support the Shine a Light Night for its designated charity, Focus Ireland, the country’s leading not-for-profit working to prevent people becoming, remaining or returning to homelessness. Due to Covid-19, there were no official locations for the sleepout. Instead the charity asked business leaders, companies, and people all over Ireland to sleep-out safely in their home, garden, or workplace to help raise vital funds for people experiencing homelessness.

Earlier this year, Sodexo, through its Stop Hunger Foundation, donated €150,000 towards Focus Ireland’s purpose-built Family Centre in Dublin. The Centre provides a space where children can be looked after while their parents receive support from staff. Sodexo also supports the charity’s coffee shop in central Dublin.

David Fox, managing director for corporate services for Sodexo Ireland, was part of a small crew sleeping out for the night in Blackrock, close to the company’s head office. He said, “It’s my first time to sleep out for Focus Ireland and I want to thank all my colleagues who also slept out on the night. It was an eye-opener for me as the parent of a young family. I know it brought home to all of us the situation that many people are facing every day in Ireland. We are delighted to support this initiative, which is about putting an end to homelessness for good.”