WJHG – October 28, 2026 - Nobody goes hungry. That is the mission of a newly launched program in Holmes County.
“Holmes County is 61 percent ALICE and below,” said Gina Littleton, the President and CEO of United Way of Northwest Florida. “That means people who are working sometimes two or three jobs, but struggling to make ends meet, and so Holmes County is number two out of 67 counties in the state of Florida that are that high.”
That’s why United Way of Northwest Florida and CrossPoint Church have launched the Rooted in Holmes program, which is funded by a grant from the Florida Blue Foundation.
“Every single year we have multiple food distributions,” said Michael Tadlock, the pastor of CrossPoint Church, “because of being afforded this grant, it’s going to be monthly food distributions of some kind that administer to the community.”
The program is also teaching the community how to budget for groceries and make them last.
“Being able to teach people those tools to help their food go longer, to help their budgets go longer, is a way that we can help sustain the program in the long haul,” Littleton said.
The program’s first food distribution in September served 411 residents. The program’s goal is to increase food security by 40% over the next four years.