Greenville, Miss. (August 28, 2024) – Today, Mars Food & Nutrition North America, Delta Group, The MolinaCares Accord (“MolinaCares”), and the Community Foundation of Washington County in Mississippi announced its second-year grant recipients through the Washington County Food Access Improvement Fund (“The Fund”). This three-year partnership, established in 2023, committed $400,000 to improve access to nutritious meals for Washington County residents and is proud to award eight local nonprofit organizations with a focus on providing healthy food to those in need.
In this second cycle, The Fund has awarded $87,500 to support sustainable, long-term food access initiatives for food pantries and 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations, for a total award amount of $167,000 to date. This year, grant recipients are a combination of new and returning awardees across Washington County which include Hearty Helpings Food Pantry Soup Kitchen, St. Vincent DePaul Society, New Jerusalem Church Food Pantry, Mississippi Delta Nature and Learning Center, Hodding Carter Memorial YMCA, Sankofa Food Sovereignty Alliance affiliated with Rural Development Leadership Network, East Park Community Outreach Food Pantry, and TCOTLG’s Community Outreach Fruits of Love Food Pantry
“We are proud to see a second cycle of the Food Access Improvement Fund and an increase in the number of applicants and grants awarded in Greenville and throughout Washington County, Mississippi, where we have proudly produced Ben’s Original™ for more than 45 years,” said Denis Yarotsky, regional president, Mars Food & Nutrition North America. “This partnership allows us to continue to fulfill our commitment to improving access to healthy food and live our purpose of Better Food Today. Better World Tomorrow.”
The Fund was created to assist organizations that strive to improve food access in the Washington County area while also growing their capacity and increasing the quantity of healthy food distributed to at-risk and vulnerable populations. During its first year, The Fund saw great success as the organizations assisted over 20,500 residents combined. This grant, awarding up to $15,000 per application, will provide each organization with additional resources to effectively build and sustain their programs. “Molina is dedicated to improving the health and well-being of individuals and families across the state,” said Bridget Galatas, plan president of Molina Healthcare of Mississippi. “Providing access to nutritious food and other critical needs plays a key role in helping underserved communities live their healthiest lives.”
The application process for The Fund’s third cycle will open in January 2025 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/. “We could not be more pleased with the success of our second 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.”
“In my first week as the Foundation’s Executive Director, I can’t imagine a better welcome than having the honor of awarding $87,5000 to worthy nonprofit organizations who are serving as ‘boots on the ground’ in the fight against food insecurity in Washington County,” says Darla Herrin, Executive Director of Community Foundation of Washington County. “Providing individuals, corporations, and other key stakeholders an avenue to come together and invest funds through a trustworthy organization and develop and implement programming and grant-making to support common areas of interest is the cornerstone of the Community Foundation of Washington County. The Fund is an incredible example of how impactful efforts like these can be for a community. ”
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.
_______________________________________________________________________________________
About Mars, Incorporated
Mars, Incorporated is driven by the belief that the world we want tomorrow starts with how we do business today. As a $50bn+ family-owned business, our diverse and expanding portfolio of leading pet care products and veterinary services support pets all around the world and our quality snacking and food products delight millions of people every day. We produce some of the world’s best-loved brands including ROYAL CANIN®, PEDIGREE®, WHISKAS®, CESAR®, DOVE®, EXTRA®, M&M’s®, SNICKERS® and BEN’S ORIGINAL™. Our international networks of pet hospitals, including BANFIELD™, BLUEPEARL™, VCA™ and ANICURA™ span preventive, general, specialty, and emergency veterinary care, and our global veterinary diagnostics business ANTECH® offers breakthrough capabilities in pet diagnostics. The Mars Five Principles—Quality, Responsibility, Mutuality, Efficiency and Freedom—inspire our 150,000 Associates to act every day to help create a better world for people, pets and the planet.
Mars Food & Nutrition is a segment of Mars, Incorporated with 2,000 Associates across 30 markets. It has some of the world’s leading food brands: Ben’s Original™, Kevin’s Natural Foods, Masterfoods®, SEEDS OF CHANGE®, Tasty Bite®, foodspring™, and DOLMIO®.
About Delta Group
Delta Group, the umbrella organization for Ayres-Delta Implement, Inc., Delta Implement Company and Planters Equipment Company, is one of the premier farm equipment dealerships in Mississippi with locations in Cleveland, Greenwood, Leland and Yazoo City. Service has always been the cornerstone of our company. Taking care of our team members, our customers and the communities that we serve is an essential core value of our company. To learn more about Delta Group, please visit our website at delta-grp.com.
About Community Foundation of Washington County
From its inception in 2012, the Community Foundation of Washington County has kept a single, unwavering mission of connecting people who care with causes that matter to create a thriving community for all. With more than $3.0 million in managed assets and over 70 funds under the Foundation’s umbrella, the Community Foundation has established an accountable and transparent way for donors to make their philanthropic dreams a reality. For more information about the Community Foundation of Washington County please visit our website www.cfwashco.org.
About The MolinaCares Accord
Established by Molina Healthcare, Inc., The MolinaCares Accord oversees a community investment platform created to improve the health and well-being of disadvantaged populations by funding meaningful, measurable, and innovative programs and solutions that improve health, life, and living in local communities. The MolinaCares Accord funds such measures through the Molina Healthcare Charitable Foundation, a 501(c)(3) established in 2020 by Molina Healthcare, Inc.
About Molina Healthcare of Mississippi
Molina Healthcare of Mississippi has been providing government-funded, quality health care since 2018. The Company serves members through Medicaid (Mississippi Coordinated Access Network/Mississippi CAN and Children’s Health Insurance Plan/CHIP) and Marketplace. Through its locally operated health plans, Molina Healthcare, Inc., a FORTUNE 500 company, provides managed health care services under the Medicaid and Medicare programs, and through state insurance marketplaces. For more information about Molina Healthcare of Mississippi, visit MolinaHealthcare.com.
