SodexoMagic Announces Partnership with East Orange School District

East Orange, N.J., Sept. 07, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- , the joint venture between Magic Johnson Enterprises and Sodexo, Inc., has announced its new partnership with East Orange School District. Through this partnership, SodexoMagic will be providing the students and staff of East Orange School District with nutritional services, including breakfast and lunch, for the next five years.

“We are so happy to continue to serve students in East Orange schools. My personal goal is to nourish students with delicious, healthy, comforting meals every day so they can learn, play, and grow into their best selves,” Earvin “Magic” Johnson said. “We are honored to be on this winning team with teachers, staff, and school leaders.”

SodexoMagic is excited to celebrate East Orange’s diverse population, including a large community of Haitian Americans. With that community in mind, SodexoMagic has created a Jollof Rice recipe specifically for East Orange which will soon be rolled out nationwide. Outreach and communication materials will also be translated to Haitian Creole to encourage inclusion and participation from students and parents, helping achieve SodexoMagic’s goal of ensuring all students have access to fresh, healthy foods while in school while also uplifting and advocating for the communities they serve.

“We are proud to partner with SodexoMagic to deliver healthy, nutritious food resulting in our students to reach their fullest potential in and out of the classroom,” Abdulsaleem Hasan, superintendent of schools for East Orange School District, said. “We believe that SodexoMagic is committed to ensuring every student is nourished and ready to learn with a variety of innovative programs and resources designed specifically for East Orange School District.”

In addition to providing a nutrition program, SodexoMagic will also establish serval new student and community engagement activities, including:

• MagicKitchen – An executive chef and registered dietitian will offer monthly classes designed to provide students and their families with hands-on culinary and nutrition education.
• Life Skills Program – SodexoMagic will work with students with Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) to provide food and nutrition-based training that they can use in the workforce.
• Live Learning Labs – Learning more about how food systems function and how foods grow gets students excited about fresh fruits, vegetables, and other nutritious foods. SodexoMagic offers several different ways to bring these lessons to life in school communities benefiting science, nutrition, wellness, and culinary curricula, including vertical aeroponic gardens, school gardens and farms, and beehive programs.

“Our mission is to empower communities, so we are proud to be an integral part of this diverse community in East Orange,” Selena Cuffe, president of SodexoMagic, said. “We know our nutritious menus, student engagement, and celebration of culturally affirming, sustainable foods make a big difference in kids’ lives. We also remain committed to building local economic development through our strong relationships will small businesses and diverse suppliers.”

About SodexoMagic

SodexoMagic was formed in 2006 through a joint venture between Magic Food Provisions (MFP), which is owned by NBA all-star Earvin “Magic” Johnson, and Sodexo Inc. to provide food and facilities management services to businesses, hospitals, schools, and universities. SodexoMagic was founded with the purpose of empowering the communities it serves, creating opportunity by hiring locally and purchasing goods and services from minority and women-owned businesses. With a 51 percent ownership interest by MFP, SodexoMagic has been certified as a minority-owned and managed company by the Minority Supplier Development Council and the Southern California Minority Business Development Council, Inc.  The joint venture employs over 6,500 people at approximately 1,500 locations across the U.S.