Washington County Food Access Fund Awards $50K in Grants
Washington County Food Access Fund Awards $50K in Grants to Local Organizations
Greenville, Miss. (September 2, 2025)
Today, the Washington County Food Access Improvement Fund (“The Fund”), a collaborative initiative established by Mars Food & Nutrition North America, Delta Group, and the Community Foundation of Washington County, announces the recipients of its third round of annual grants.
In 2023, this coalition committed $400,000 through 2025 to improve access to nutritious meals for Washington County residents, where the food insecurity rate is 22.9%.
This year, The Fund is proud to award $50,000 to eight local organizations dedicated to creating sustainable, long-term initiatives that enhance access to nutritious food in Washington County, bringing the total grant award amount to $217,000 since 2023.
2025 Grant Recipients
- St. Vincent DePaul Society
- New Jerusalem Church Food Pantry
- Mississippi Delta Nature and Learning Center
- Hodding Carter Memorial YMCA
- Extra Table Feeds
- Leland Food Pantry
- Sacred Space
- East Park Outreach
“We are proud to award the third cohort of grant recipients through the Food Access Fund coalition in Greenville, Mississippi,” said Dave Dusangh, regional president, Mars Food & Nutrition North America. “It’s been an honor to help enhance the well-being of community residents.”
The Fund is dedicated to helping organizations expand their capacity to supply healthy food to those in need. Since its inception, The Fund has increased access to healthy foods for over 30,000 residents collectively.
With grants of up to $10,000 available per application, this initiative effectively supports eligible organizations in developing and sustaining important food access programs.
“We could not be more pleased with the success of our third year in partnership with the Washington County Food Access Improvement Fund here at Delta Group,” says Joe Nash, Chief Operating Officer of Delta Group. “Looking back at our progress, we believe the grants awarded to fund the incredible, life-changing work of worthy nonprofit organizations and faith-based institutions are truly impacting our Washington County community.”
The Fund application process will reopen in January 2026 for its fourth cycle. Applications will be available for food pantries and nonprofit organizations that provide access to healthy food in Greenville and Washington Counties. Visit https://cfwashco.org/ for more information.
“The Community Foundation of Washington County is proud and humbled to play a small role in supporting Mars Food and Nutrition North America and the Delta Group in carrying out their charitable work,” said Darla Herrin, Executive Director. “We appreciate working hand-in-hand with Mars Foods and the Delta Group over the past three years on this crucial programmatic work.”
Media Contacts
CFWC Media Contact: Darla Herrin – dherrin@cfwashco.org
Delta Group Media Contact: Terri Lane – Tlane@delta-grp.com
Mars Food Media Contact: Kyla Washington – kyla.washington@effem.com
Phone: (662) 580-4500
