The Nutrition Collaborative of Rock County has been awarded the Advancing a Healthier Wisconsin Endowment community seed grant for 2024.

Coordinator Courtney Nathan says the grant funds program that lay the groundwork to address a health need or gap and they’re receiving just under $50,000 to really help them with the beginning stages of addressing food access issues in the county.

Nathan says according to the United States Department of Agriculture a good portion of Rock County resides in food desert and doesn’t have adequate access to grocery stores and the healthy food they need.

Nathan says they plan to use the money to run a number of focus groups for rural and urban communities.