The MolinaCares Accord to Improve Student Access to Nutritious Food in Mississippi
Media Contact: Rhonda Frazier, Rhonda.Frazier@MolinaHealthcare.com, 562-980-3849
GREENVILLE, Miss. Nov. 10, 2021 – The MolinaCares Accord (“MolinaCares”), in collaboration with Molina Healthcare of Mississippi (“Molina”), is donating $50,000 to deploy dedicated food and nutrition educators in 12 Delta-area schools through its partnership with FoodCorps.
“We know Mississippians living in the Delta region face many barriers to healthy living,” said Bridget Galatas, plan president of Molina Healthcare of Mississippi. “Teaching kids about nutrition early is critical to setting them on a path to health and wellness, and we’re committed to this goal.”
MolinaCares is funding evidence-based lessons teaching kids how to make healthier choices every day. FoodCorps educators will support the creation of school gardens where fruits and vegetables will be planted for the students to tend and eventually consume. The program also includes hands-on lessons on simple and healthy meal preparation to help establish beneficial eating habits to last a lifetime. The program is projected to reach 2,500 children through 400 nutrition education lessons.
“We want to ensure the children in our local communities have access to healthy meals that will help them learn, grow, and succeed,” said Curt Ellis, co-founder and chief executive officer of FoodCorps. “We’re so grateful to MolinaCares for the generous donation that will help support these critical endeavors.”
The grant to FoodCorps is part of a larger initiative launched by MolinaCares in the Mississippi Delta region earlier this year to expand Mississippians’ access to healthy food.
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/MississippiCAN and Children’s Health Insurance Plan/CHIP) and Marketplace. Through its locally operated health plans, Molina Healthcare, Inc., a FORTUNE 500 company, served approximately 4.8 million members as of September 30, 2021. For more information about Molina Healthcare of Mississippi, visit MolinaHealthcare.com.
About FoodCorps
Together with communities, FoodCorps connects kids to healthy food in school so that every child—regardless of race, place, or class—gets the nourishment they need to thrive. Our AmeriCorps leaders transform schools into places where all students learn what healthy food is, care where it comes from, and eat it every day. Building on this foundation of direct impact, FoodCorps develops leaders, forges networks, and pursues policy reforms that in time have the potential to improve all of our nation’s 100,000 schools. To learn more about FoodCorps’ work across the country, visit http://www.foodcorps.org.