IRVING, Texas—The Nexstar Media Charitable Foundation has announced it would contribute $25,000 each to two of West Virginia’s largest food banks, the Mountaineer Food Bank and the Facing Hunger Food Bank, to help those individuals and families affected by the interruption in payments from the federal government’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
More than 270,000 West Virginians rely on SNAP to help pay for groceries and put food on the table, according to Nexstar; roughly one of every six residents in the state participates in SNAP. In many instances, SNAP funds are the difference between eating healthy or going without food altogether, Nexstar reported.
SNAP funding has been reduced by the ongoing federal government shutdown.
“Service to the community is one of Nexstar’s core values,” said Nexstar Founder, Chairman and CEO Perry Sook, who also serves as chairman of the Nexstar Media Charitable Foundation. “In West Virginia, hunger and food insecurity are very real threats and the need is great. Our journalists in West Virginia are out every day covering this local story and what the loss of SNAP funding means to the people who rely on the program. We take our responsibilities as a member of the community very seriously and we are pleased to be able to step forward and help with these donations to the Mountaineer Food Bank and the Facing Hunger Food Bank.”
Last week, West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey launched a statewide donation drive supporting food banks across the state and announced that the state would contribute $5 million to the effort. Nexstar’s five local television stations serving West Virginia immediately joined in the campaign, with WTRF-TV Wheeling, WBOY-TV Clarksburg, WOWK Charleston/Huntington, WVNS-TV Bluefield/Beckley and WDVM-TV Washington, D.C., covering the crisis and airing public service announcements, posting stories to social media and providing ongoing news updates on their station websites.
“We are deeply grateful to Nexstar for stepping up and supporting our work with a generous gift of $25,000,“ Mountaineer Food Bank CEO Chad Morrison said. “When challenges arise for our neighbors across West Virginia, it’s reassuring to know we have partners like Nexstar who help us rise to meet them. Together, we continue to prove that West Virginians are resilient and committed to caring for one another in times of need.”
Cynthia Kirkhart, CEO of the Facing Hunger Food Bank, added: “Facing Hunger Food Bank, our team, and most importantly, the neighbors living in the communities at the center of our work, are so grateful for this gracious support from Nexstar Media Charitable Foundation. This gift alone will provide 225,000 additional meals at a critical time of need. We have enjoyed a long partnership with our local Nexstar stations through volunteerism and support, and the communities we each serve rely on their information and news to shape our experiences. As we continue to navigate these uncertain times, there is comfort in the support of people who live and serve in our communities.”
The Nexstar Media Charitable Foundation contributes to and works with public charities and nonprofit organizations to improve the communities where Nexstar Media Group and its subsidiaries do business. The foundation’s forerunner was established in 1958; it now makes donations of approximately $350,000 annually.
