TV stations across the country continue to lead efforts to help those in need in their communities in a variety of ways.
There is no shortage of examples of TV stations helping their local communities. Over the years, Market Share has highlighted hundreds of stories showing their good work. Here are more examples of how local TV stations are help their communities.
KXXV, the Scripps ABC affiliate in Waco, Texas, is partnering with food pantries across Central Texas and the Brazos Valley to Feed the Need.
For years, KXXV has hosted summer food drives for children in the area who can no longer receive school meals. This year, there is significantly more need in the community and donations have drastically reduced over the length of the pandemic.
“Our hope is that our community can rest assured that there will be food on their tables,” says Adam Chase, KXXV’s GM.
In response to a dangerously low blood supply, WILX, Gray’s NBC affiliate in Lansing, Mich., partnered with The America Red Cross to make it easy for people to sign up for a blood donation appointment.
The station held a Give Blood Telethon on June 23 encouraging the community to make an appointment during the telethon hours. Shaheen Chevy & Shaheen Cadillac, Central Pharmacy, an independently-owned Health Mart pharmacy and Hedlund Plumbing are proud sponsors of the Give Blood Telethon.
“Last January, during a severe blood shortage, WILX did a similar blood drive telethon which resulted in record-breaking blood donation sign-ups,” says Debbie Petersmark, WILX’s general manager.
Hospitals are responding to an atypically high number of traumas and emergency room visits. The Red Cross has seen demand from trauma centers climb by 10% in 2021− more than five times the growth of other facilities that provide blood transfusions.
In Atlanta, WXIA, Tegna’s NBC affiliate, and the Tegna Foundation, a charitable foundation, awarded grants totaling $55,000 to 10 area nonprofit organizations that address pressing needs, including social justice and racial equity along with mental health.
“Each of the nonprofits recognized with this round of grants proudly serve those in need through unique and positive initiatives around hunger, poverty, social justice, racial equality and mental health — all important issues all the time but especially this year,” says John Deushane, WXIA’s general manager.
WXIN and WTTV, Nexstar’s Fox and CBS affiliates in Indianapolis, helped pack food and supplies for two local food banks.
“These organizations are working hard every day to put food on the tables of Hoosiers who otherwise would go hungry,” says Dominic Mancuso, the stations’ general manager.
Station employees spent two days filling boxes with with pasta, canned vegetables, peanut butter and other essentials. The volunteers filled 960 boxes of food, which is about 20,000 meals at one food bank and another day, filled 1,513 boxes with food.
Pack the Pantries is part of the stations’ concentrated effort year-round to draw attention to food insecurity in the Indianapolis area. Over the course of three events last year, the stations helped raise more than $320k for Hoosiers in need.
In Monroe, La., the community project, KTVE-KARD Food Drive for Homeless Veterans, collected 7 tons of food thanks to station employees volunteering 168 hours of their time.
KTVE is an NBC affiliate in El Dorado, Ark., owned by Mission, while KARD is the Fox affiliate in Monroe owned by Nexstar.
The duties included picking up food from the food drive collection sites then unloading the food at a local church gymnasium where food was sorted and boxed. Food was then loaded up into a truck donated for use by the Salvation Army.
In addition to the employees volunteering, several church members assisted, as well as the United Way of Northeast Louisiana and the Wellspring.
In Lafayette, La., the Nexstar Media Charitable Foundation, on behalf of KLFY, Nexstar’s CBS affiliate there, donated $5,000 to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Acadiana. The donation will be specifically directed to efforts to the Youth for Unity program, aimed at improving attitudes and behaviors related to diversity and inclusion.
“Giving back to the local communities served by Nexstar in 116 markets across the country is core to the company’s mission and we are proud to make this donation of $5,000 on behalf of KLFY-TV, Nexstar Media Group, Inc. and our more than 12,000 employees,” says Fran McRae, KLFY’s GM.
The Youth for Unity program provides youth and parents with the groundwork that will help them better understand diversity and combat prejudice, bigotry, and discrimination.
WISH, Circle City Broadcasting’s CW affiliate in Indianapolis, raised more than $330,000 for Teacher’s Treasures in Indianapolis, a nonprofit store for teachers to obtain school supplies for students in need.
The money was raised through a golfing event held by Anthony Calhoun, WISH’s sports director, which has grown to be one of the most successful golf fundraisers in Indiana to include athletes, coaches, educators, celebrities, business, and community leaders from all over, raising more than $2 million.
“Over the years, I have witnessed the positive impact Anthony Calhoun has made in our communities outside of his role at WISH-TV,” says DuJuan McCoy, Circle City’s president.
“AC is truly the leader in raising awareness, working selflessly to promote and do extraordinary things, especially for underserved communities and families.”
Founded in 2000 by a retired school principal, Teachers Treasure is a free store for teachers to provide educational supplies and materials needed by the children in their classrooms.
“Indy is my home,” says Calhoun, “and I am blessed to be in the kind of position to do the things I enjoy and support causes that are important to me like our annual golf classic.”
https://www.facebook.com/wishtv/videos/483478982952771
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