Over the next five years, Mars Food will invest $ 2.5 million improve access to healthy food and education for underserved people in the region. MolinaCares will add another one $ 1.25 million to further strengthen efforts to access food. The Kroger Delta division will support local and national pantry programs with additional sponsorships and investments. Specifically, over the next two years, the cumulative effort will focus on several key areas to:

• Help the City of Greenville to establish a local FoodCorps service member program supporting the Greenville Public School District and the Western Line School District. FoodCorps connects children to healthy food in school by giving hands-on lessons in growing, cooking and preparing healthy food options;
• Purchase a refrigerated truck for Hearty Helpings Food Pantry to improve the collection and distribution of fresh produce and protein to meet the needs of Greenville community;
• Fund a community garden at the Boys and Girls Club of Washington County and educating at-risk youth to grow and harvest vegetables and prepare meals; and
• Fund The Mississippi Food Network Mobile Food Pantry to distribute fresh and frozen products and proteins to Greenville and surrounding residents six times over a 12-month period.

Mars and MolinaCares are also evaluating other regional partnerships and projects to further improve access to healthy food for residents.

“I am delighted to see Molina and Kroger teaming up with Mars to make an even greater impact in Greenville,” mentionned City of Greenville Mayor, Errick D. Simmons. “The investment choices of Molina, Kroger and Mars will definitely help our community have better access to healthy food and start improving the food education of our children and their parents. Greenville companies to join them in this grand coalition.

“For over 40 years, we have been producing Ben’s Original ™ rice in Greenville, Mississippi. Meanwhile, Greenville has become our home. So Mars Food and Ben’s Original ™ will do everything possible to ensure that everyone has the chance to sit at a healthier table, especially in Greenville,” mentionned Denis yarotskiy, Regional President of Mars Food North America. “I am incredibly proud to team up with MolinaCares and Kroeger to make an even deeper impact in helping community nonprofits address these issues that have plagued the Mississippi Delta region for generations.”

“Residents of the Mississippi Delta, including many members of Molina, have statistically lower health outcomes than other Mississippians,” said Carolyn Ingram, Executive Director of the Molina Healthcare Charitable Foundation. “MolinaCares is proud to invest in programs and services addressing the essential social determinants of health, including food security, transportation and health-related education, essential in this region.

“The Delta division of Kroger and The Kroger Company’s Zero Hunger Zero Waste Foundation are committed to ending hunger in the communities we serve and waste in our stores by 2025,” said Victor smith, president of the Kroger Delta division. “I am very proud of this partnership as it is a great example of our community leaders working together to provide food to families in need.

About Mars Food
Mars Food is a dinner-time fast food company that makes tastier, healthier, easier meals that bring the world to the table. With its North American headquarters in Chicago, Illinois. and world headquarters in London, Mars Food US’s leading brand portfolio includes: Ben’s Original ™, Seeds of Change ™ and Tasty Bite®. Our goal – better nutrition today. A better world tomorrow. –Conducts our company to be a leader in health, well-being and sustainable development. Mars Food is a segment of Mars, Incorporated. For more information on the Ben’s Original ™ brand and its initiatives, visit https://www.bensoriginal.com/ or https://www.mars.com/.

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 underprivileged populations by funding meaningful, measurable and innovative programs and solutions that improve health, lives and life in local communities. . The MolinaCares Agreement funds these measures through the Molina Healthcare Charitable Foundation Inc., a 501 (c) (3) established in 2020 by Molina Healthcare, Inc.

About Molina Healthcare de Mississippi
Molina Health from Mississippi has been providing quality, government-funded health care since 2018. The company serves its members through Medicaid (Mississippi Coordinated Access Network / MississippiCAN and Children’s Health Insurance Plan / CHIP) and Marketplace. Through its locally managed health plans, Molina Healthcare, Inc., a FORTUNE 500 company, has served approximately 4.6 million members in March 31, 2021. For more information on Molina Healthcare from Mississippi, visit MolinaHealthcare.com.

* According to the USDA, 1.2 pounds equals one meal.

SOURCE Mars Food North America

Related links

https://www.mars.com