June 14,2010/-KINGSTON, Ontario – At a celebration today with the staff and volunteers at Providence Care St. Mary’s of the Lake Hospital, Sodexo Canada announced a gift of $100,000 to University Hospitals Kingston Foundation, Together We Can capital campaign.

Sodexo is celebrating a 35 year partnership with St. Mary’s of the Lake Hospital, and marked the occasion by hosting a barbeque for staff and volunteers.  At the event, Sodexo’s Senior Vice-President, Health Care, Stephen Simms announced the gift, saying “The Together We Can Campaign gave us a great opportunity to demonstrate our continuing commitment to the Providence Care organization and the people of the greater Kingston region.”

The company’s gift is directed toward the construction of a new hospital to replace aging facilities at the St. Mary’s of the Lake and Mental Health Services sites.  In expressing thanks to Sodexo, Glen Wood, Acting Chair of Providence Care Board of Directors said, “We are honoured to have the support of Sodexo, which has such a strong partnership with the hospital. Your gift to support our new facilities is truly an example of corporate citizenship at its best.” Sodexo is the leading provider of food and facilities management in North America. Sodexo offers innovative outsourcing solutions in food service, housekeeping, grounds keeping, plant operations and maintenance, asset and materials management, and laundry services to corporations, health care and long term care facilities, retirement centers, schools, college and university campuses, military and remote sites. With Canadian Headquarters in Burlington, Ontario the company has 130,000 employees at more than 6,000 locations across North America. Sodexo Canada has been awarded the Gold level certification for the Progressive Aboriginal Relations program (PAR) with the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business (CCAB). Sodexo created the charitable organization, the Sodexo Foundation, which is dedicated to the fight against hunger as it impacts millions of people in Canada.

Providence Care is southeastern Ontario’s leading provider of adult mental health treatment and rehabilitation, complex continuing care, forensic psychiatry, geriatric psychiatry, palliative care, specialized geriatric medicine, long-term care and rehabilitation programs. One of Kingston’s university hospitals, Providence Care has three main sites in Kingston: Mental Health Services, St. Mary’s of the Lake Hospital and Providence Manor, as well as 18 community locations. Affiliated with Queen’s University, Providence Care is a major centre for teaching and research.