- The grant awarded to World Central Kitchen will help provide more than 200,000 meals for families in Venezuela following catastrophic dual earthquakes.
- Mars South American businesses are also supporting canine search-and-rescue teams, food donations to local organizations and providing support for Venezuelan Mars Associates based in Southern Brazil who have families impacted by the disaster.
MCLEAN, Va., July 10, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Mars, Incorporated today announced a $1M grant through the Mars Impact Fund to World Central Kitchen (WCK) to support communities impacted by the devastating earthquakes that struck northern Venezuela. The funding will help provide more than 200,000 fresh meals to people affected by the disaster, accompanying additional on-the-ground efforts already underway by Mars and its brands.
Mars and WCK have partnered together since 2022 to help prepare and deliver fresh, nourishing meals to those affected by crises worldwide. WCK provides on-the-ground food distribution for families in need and has served more than 600 million nourishing meals worldwide since its founding in 2010.
“As a family-owned, principles-led business, our hearts go out to the families whose lives have been devastated by this earthquake,” said Michelle Grogg, Executive Director of the Mars Impact Fund. “In times of crisis, Mars believes we have a responsibility to utilize our global resources to support the recovery of impacted communities. We are honored to partner with World Central Kitchen, whose team has the immediate on-the-ground expertise and local relationships needed to deliver hot meals and critical relief to families when they need it most.”
The grant complements additional relief efforts being supported directly by Mars businesses. Mars South America businesses have donated more than 5 tons of food products such as cereal, snack food and pet food through local food banks to support people and pets affected by the earthquake.
WCK activated its response within hours of the disaster, working alongside local restaurants and community partners to prepare and distribute fresh meals to communities most impacted by the earthquakes. To date, WCK has served nearly 500,000 meals across the affected states of Miranda, La Guaira, and Carabobo, working alongside more than 50 local restaurant partners to reach displaced families, first responders, and communities recovering from the earthquake’s devastation.
“When the earthquakes struck, our teams and local partners were able to mobilize within hours because of partners like Mars,” said Tunde Wackman, Chief Development Officer at World Central Kitchen. “This generous grant from the Mars Impact Fund means we can keep showing up for families across Venezuela with fresh, nourishing meals, and it’s a powerful reminder that when we come together, we can help neighbors when it matters most.”
Mars is also providing support for its Venezuelan Associates based in Southern Brazil and the deployment of canine search-and-rescue teams from Argentina and Mexico. The search-and-rescue work is funded by the Royal Canin Foundation, the charitable arm of Mars global pet nutrition brand Royal Canin. Additionally, Mars, along with VCA Charities (the nonprofit arm of VCA Animal Hospitals network) and Royal Canin U.S., have sponsored the deployment of the Los Angeles Task Force 2 Urban Search and Rescue team, which is actively supporting emergency response efforts on the ground.
ABOUT MARS, INCORPORATED
Mars, Incorporated is driven by the belief that the world we want tomorrow starts with how we do business today. Based on combined Mars and Kellanova 2025 net sales, we are now a $65bn+ family-owned business, with a diverse portfolio of quality snacking and food products that delight millions of people every day, and leading pet care products and veterinary services that support pets all around the world. We produce some of the world’s best-loved brands including ROYAL CANIN®, PEDIGREE®, WHISKAS®, CESAR®, M&M’S®, SNICKERS®, EXTRA®, Pringles®, Cheez-It®, and BEN’S ORIGINAL™. Our international networks of pet hospitals, including BANFIELD™, BLUEPEARL™, VCA™ and ANICURA™ span preventive, general, specialty, and emergency veterinary care, and our global veterinary diagnostics business ANTECH® offers breakthrough capabilities in pet diagnostics. The Mars Five Principles — Quality, Responsibility, Mutuality, Efficiency and Freedom — inspire our approximately 170,000 Associates to act every day to help create a better world for people, pets and the planet.
For more information about Mars, please visit www.mars.com. Join us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube.
ABOUT WORLD CENTRAL KITCHEN
Founded in 2010 by Chef José Andrés, World Central Kitchen (WCK) is a nonprofit organization that is first to the frontlines providing fresh meals in response to crises. Applying our model of quick action, leveraging local resources, and adapting in real time, WCK has served more than 600 million nourishing meals around the world.
When disaster strikes, WCK’s Relief Team mobilizes with the urgency of now to start cooking and serving meals to people in need. By partnering with organizations on the ground and activating a network of local restaurants, food trucks, and emergency kitchens, WCK serves comforting meals to survivors of disasters quickly and effectively. To support regional economies, WCK prioritizes purchasing local ingredients to cook with or distribute directly to families in need.
Learn more at wck.org.
Media Contacts
marsmediarelations@effem.com
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SOURCE Mars, Incorporated
