Two TV Stations Help Provide 27 Million Meals In Their Markets

Two TV stations in Seattle and Madison, Wis., have separately helped generate nearly 27 million meals for food banks to feed the hungry in their markets.

In Seattle, KING, Tegna’s NBC affiliate in DMA 12, raised more than 21 million meals for Northwest Harvest through its 21^st annual Home Team Harvest food drive campaign.

Hundreds of food banks and partner programs in Washington will benefit from the effort. Northwest Harvest has a statewide network of 375 food banks, meal programs and high-need schools.

“Exceeding the goal of 21 million meals is an amazing result in a year of extraordinary need,” says Thomas Reynolds, Northwest Harves’s CEO.  “We are two years into this pandemic, and food insecurity continues to affect so many people in this region and across the state.”

“Home Team Harvest, and the good that it does for people in Washington state struggling with food insecurity, wouldn’t be possible without volunteers, businesses and the community rallying together,” says Christy Moreno, KING’s GM. “Once again, they’ve shown that they stand with us in our continued support for Northwest Harvest. We’re so proud to live and work in this community.”

In Madison (DMA 81), Gray’s dual NBC-CW affiliate, WMTV,  helped provide more than 5,389,000 meals for those in need through its NBC15 Share Your Holidays, the 26^th year the station has held the annual campaign.

This is equivalent to more than $2.126 million for Second Harvest Foodbank of Southern Wisconsin. Thanks to its buying power, 25 meals are purchased with every $10 donation.

Each year, the campaign raises nearly a third of all the meals Second Harvest Foodbank of Southern Wisconsin provides throughout the year. The nonprofit distributes food to 200 partner agencies and programs across the viewing area.

Moments after seeing just how much the community had rallied to raise, a still visibly stunned Michelle Orge, Second Harvest’s president and CEO, explained how those meals will carry them through the next three or four months.

“It’s so important, especially during these cold, cold days where the heating bill is going to be even higher,” Orge says. “This is the community at work. It’s $5 donations and $500 donations and everything in between.”

“Our communities have been hurt by the food supply chain and the demand across the country for food has never been higher,” says Don Vesely, WMTV’s GM. “The mission of Share Your Holidays has never been more important.”

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