Food Access Grant Award Ceremony

Washington County Food Access Improvement Fund Announces 2025 Grant Recipients
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. The
selected organizations that will receive grants ranging from $5,000 to $10,000 include 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, and 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. Funds like
the Washington County Food Access Improvement Fund are real-life examples of how
individuals and corporations can join together around a common cause, combine resources,
and, together, fund worthy programming and projects that work collaboratively to improve a community.”
The Fund application process will reopen in January 2026 for its fourth cycle for food pantries
and non-profit organizations that provide access to healthy food in Greenville and
Washington Counties. Applications will be available at the Community Foundation of
Washington County and online at https://cfwashco.org/.
“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. We understand the critical impact these funds can, and will, play in
distributing food to the most vulnerable in our community,” said Darla Herrin, Community
Foundation of Washington County, 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, and value all our partners and community leaders as we come together
to make a difference for Washington County.”
For more information on how to donate or the grant process, please contact the
foundation office via email at dherrin@cfwashco.org or by phone (662) 580-4500.