On Monday, the Wal-Mart Foundation donated $9.5 million in grants to organizations with a shared mission of promoting healthy eating habits.

The funding will go toward nutrition education programs and will provide classes focused on cooking and shopping for healthier foods on a budget.

A little over a year ago, the company, in conjunction with First Lady Michelle Obama, announced an initiative to provide customers with healthier and more affordable food choices.

In the U.S. about one-third of U.S. adults (33.8 percent) and 17 percent (or 12.5 million) of children and adolescents aged 2–19 years old are obese, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

"We want to help our customers make healthier decisions whether that's through their in-store experience at Wal-Mart or through taking a class focused on nutrition education," said Andrea Thomas, senior vice president of sustainability at Wal-Mart. 

The foundation plans to reach nearly 300,000 people across the nation with the grants given to organizations including Action for Healthy Kids, the League of United Latin American Citizens, and the National Black Child Development Institute, which received $300,000 to provide nutrition education to over 10,000 participants in African-American families with young children.

To learn more about the cooking classes and community grants visit here.

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(Photo: Courtesy Walmart Foundation)