The Atlanta-based UPS Foundation has broadened its initiative to alleviate hunger in America and address nutrition and obesity issues by launching the National Collaboration to Reduce Hunger and Improve Nutrition with $2 million in grants to eight organizations.

According to nutrition experts, families unable to afford nutritious food often develop unhealthful eating habits, setting the stage for obesity and numerous other health problems. The organizations receiving grants, each worth $250,000, are located across the country and are involved in various aspects of the fight against hunger and obesity. They include the Society of Saint Andrew in Big Island, Virginia, which is working to expand distribution of otherwise wasted fresh produce from local farms to local food banks, and the Children's Hunger Alliance in Columbus, Ohio, which is expanding access to and improving the quality of school meals.

"Millions of Americans look hunger in the face every day. They feel the consequences of poor nutrition and in many cases suffer from the effects of obesity," said foundation president Evern Cooper Epps. "The connection between inadequate financial resources and poor nutrition is clear and compelling. We want to be instrumental in the fight against hunger by providing those individuals at risk with access to nutritious foods as well as information and resources."