GREENVILLE, Miss., Dec. 3, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Yesterday, Mars Food, makers of Ben's Original™, continued its efforts to enhance educational opportunities, as well as further access to fresh foods for Greenville area residents through a series of donations. The new actions are in service of the Ben's Original™ brand purpose to create opportunities that offer everyone a seat at the table and are linked to company's commitment to donate $2.5 million over the next five years in the community Mars Food has called home for more than four decades.

In order to enhance academic opportunities for area students, Ben's Original™ presented Greenville High School with a $170,000 grant. This initial grant will go towards the purchase of a school bus to transport students to a regional community college and vocational schools for additional classes, a vehicle for driver education courses, safety equipment, as well as help pay for repairs for the school's outdoor running track. Over the next five years, the company plans to continue to partner with the school district with a goal to improve its graduation rate and state-wide academic grading. In addition to the grant, Ben's Original™ also enlisted award-winning Mississippi chef Nick Wallace to host a cooking demonstration at the school for students studying culinary arts.

"Now more than ever, we need to offer academic programs and activities that will keep students engaged and excited about not only going to school, but excelling in their studies," said Greenville Mayor, Errick D. Simmons. "We need investment from community partners like Mars Food who are committed to our collective goal to improve academic standards and graduation rates throughout our education system."

Mars Food also continued to deliver on its promise to further access to fresh foods by co-sponsoring another local food distribution from the Mississippi Food Network Mobile Pantry. Through Mars Food's partnership with The MolinaCares Accord, in collaboration with Molina Healthcare of Mississippi and the Kroger Delta Division, the Mississippi Food Network Mobile Pantry has distributed more than 35,000 meals to Greenville area residents this year and is on track to deliver 70,000 meals by 2023. This follows the partnership's recent donation of a refrigerated delivery truck for Hearty Helpings Food Pantry & Soup Kitchen – one of the largest food pantries in Washington County – that will help the food pantry to triple its distribution of healthy foods in the region.

"We're humbled to have the opportunity to make a true difference for our neighbors," said Denis Yarotskiy, Regional President, Mars Food North America. "But these donations are just the beginning – we are committed for the long-term to enhancing educational opportunities for Greenville students, as well as ensuring area residents have access to the meals they deserve."

For more information about Ben's Original™, visit www.bensoriginal.com.

About Mars Food
Mars Food is a fast-growing dinnertime food business, making tastier, healthier, easier meals that bring the world to the dinner table. With North American headquarters in Chicago, Ill. and global headquarters in London, Mars Food US's portfolio of leading brands includes: Ben's Original™, Seeds of Change™, and Tasty Bite®. Our purpose –Better Food Today. A Better World Tomorrow. –drives our business to be a leader in health & wellbeing and sustainability. Mars Food is a segment of Mars, Incorporated. For more information about the Ben's Original™ Brand and its purpose initiatives, visit https://www.bensoriginal.com/ or https://www.mars.com/.

Mars Food Media Contact: 
Kyla Washington  
[email protected] 

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SOURCE Mars, Incorporated