Bob Evans Farms Announces Winners of Sixth Annual Heroes to CEOs Grant Contest

Bob Evans Farms Awards Total Of $75,000 To Three Veteran Entrepreneurs

NEW ALBANY, OHIO (March 3, 2022) – Bob Evans Farms (BEF) has announced Zephrine Hanson, founder of Hampden Farms; Hal Zaima, founder of Sterilogy; and Brett D’Alessandro and Alexa Modero, founders of Backpacks for Life, as the three grand prize winners of BEF’s sixth annual Our Farm Salutes (OFS) grant-giving contest, Heroes to CEOs (H2C).

This year’s Heroes to CEOs competition was structured to honor and celebrate past H2C entrants to help ensure that no Veteran was left behind. This year, the grant winners are three deserving contestants from past H2C contests and will each be awarded $25,000 and professional mentoring by leading successful entrepreneur Veterans in the U.S.

H2C is an annual contest promoted through Bob Evans Farms’ Our Farm Salutes initiative, a national philanthropic mission dedicated to supporting U.S. military heroes and their families through awareness, donations, strategic partnerships, grant opportunities and volunteerism.

• Hampden Farms: As a Veteran of the U.S. Air Force, Zephrine Hanson founded Hampden Farms. Hampden Farms focuses on accelerating food security and community wealth building for underserved communities in the Denver metro area. Hampden Farms does this through investing in agricultural entrepreneurship, value-added crops and products.
• Sterilogy: Founded by Hal Zaima, a Veteran of the U.S. Army, Sterilogy has the only patented body-worn personal hand hygiene system designed to reduce hospital infections. The product alerts hospital staff at the appropriate time to dispense and use Sterilogy’s hand sanitizer, recording the event into Sterilogy’s cloud, reducing patient exposure and the traditionally high costs associated with high infection rates in the U.S.
• Backpacks for Life: Backpacks for Life was founded by United States Marine Corps Veteran Brett D’Alessandro and his spouse, Alexa Modero. The organization provides unique and personalized support to homeless and at-risk Veterans currently struggling to reintegrate into civilian life. Backpacks for Life assembles and distributes backpacks filled with daily essentials, shelter, and mental health counseling care, and provides guidance through their mentorship program.

“I am inspired by the brave men and women who serve our country, and we are honored to continue our Heroes to CEOs program for a sixth consecutive year,” said Mark Delahanty, President and CEO of Bob Evans Farms. “We believe that no Veteran should be left behind, and that is why we chose to revisit past submissions and award three deserving Veteran organizations whose missions are aligned closely with Bob Evans Farms.”

Delahanty added: “We are proud to offer each of these veterans $25,000, as well as professional mentoring by some of the most inspiring Veteran entrepreneurs in the U.S. We look forward to working together with this year’s winners, helping them to progress in their business endeavors and in their lives.”

Bob Evans Farms has funded a total of $450,000 to Veteran-owned businesses and organizations since the Heroes to CEOs program started in 2017.