Member News | $250,000 donation for food deserts in the Mississippi Delta

The Community Foundation of Northwest Mississippi was recently awarded a grant from the MolinaCares Accord and Molina Healthcare who donated $250,000 dollars to support programs that help families across the Mississippi Delta access nutritious food.

Food deserts are areas that have limited access to affordable and nutritious food. 

Stacye Trout, Development Director for the foundation explains, “we’re seeing more children with type two diabetes and cardiovascular issues, and that just shouldn’t happen.  So, with this grant and being able to provide the education and healthy food, we can also partner with Molina to bring in their mobile markets and mobile units with nurse practitioners to help people guide them through the process.”

This grant is part of an initiative launched by MolinaCares earlier this year to help all Mississippians have easier access to healthy food.  It will bring community gardens, fresh produce, and education for families to learn how to prepare healthy meals in poverty-ridden communities, which is something Community Foundation’s President Keith Fulcher believes is extremely important.

“I don’t know poverty. I don’t know hunger. But I’ve heard the stories of my own family who lived in poverty. Breaks my heart, kids are still living it.  Somebody’s got to solve it,” said Fulcher. “Molina Healthcare, all the partners, the community foundation; we will do our damnedest to solve it.”