Nexstar Media Charitable Foundation Donates $5,000 to The Hunger Task Force of La Crosse, Wisconsin

IRVING, TX (Nov. 22, 2021) – The Nexstar Media Charitable Foundation and WLAX-TV, the Nexstar Media Inc. television station serving La Crosse, Wisconsin, and the surrounding area, announced today that the Foundation will donate $5,000 to The Hunger Task Force of La Crosse, a free local food bank delivering food to those in need.

For 23 years, The Hunger Task Force has provided a safety net of emergency food to a network of local food pantries and meal programs serving Western Wisconsin.  It is the only free and local food bank in the La Crosse area and charges nothing for the food it distributes and delivers.  The organization offers free food to any food program that provides food free to their clients.  Programs include:  The Salvation Army, New Horizons, Onalaska/Holmen Food Basket, Come For Supper, and many more!  Today, The Hunger Task Force serves more than 80 meal sites, food pantries, youth programs, and outreach sites.

Following its launch, the newly organized Hunger Task Force of La Crosse determined a community garden sounded appealing as the county had recently examined the eating habits of low-income individuals and found they did not eat enough fruits and vegetables—partly because of the expense.  The Kane Street Community Garden was established in 1999.

WLAX-TV has partnered with the Task Force on many events, with staff volunteering to work at the Kane Street Gardens and selling T-shirts to help with fundraising.  In addition, the station has aired a variety of public service announcements on behalf of the Task Force and partnered with the organization on a 2020 food drive that raised more than $200,000 and 60,000 pounds of food for the needy.

“We are so very fortunate to have been a long-time partner with WLAX-TV in helping to keep our neighbors fed,” said Shelly Fortner, Executive Director of The Hunger Task Force of La Crosse. “Their commitment to community is a blessing to those in need.  The pandemic added extra challenges, so to have their support has made a huge difference in allowing us to serve people, uninterrupted, in the safest, most effective and most efficient way possible.”

Commenting on the donation, Jud Beck, Vice President and General Manager of WLAX-TV, said, “The Hunger Task Force makes a real difference in La Crosse and throughout the region, and for many families it makes the difference between putting food on the table and going hungry.  We are proud of our long association with the Task Force, and grateful for everything it provides for those who are in need of help.  Giving back to the communities served by Nexstar across the country is core to the company’s mission, and we are proud that the Nexstar Media Foundation will make this donation in recognition of the deep relationship between WLAX-TV, its employees, and the Task Force.”

The Nexstar Media Charitable Foundation’s mission is to contribute to and work with public charities and non-profit organizations to improve the communities in which Nexstar Media and its subsidiaries do business.  The foundation was originally established in 1958 and it makes donations of approximately $350,000 annually.

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About Nexstar Media Group, Inc.
Nexstar Media Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: NXST) is a leading diversified media company that leverages localism to bring new services and value to consumers and advertisers through its traditional media, digital and mobile media platforms. Its wholly owned operating subsidiary, Nexstar Media Inc., consists of three divisions: Broadcasting, Digital, and Networks.  The Broadcasting Division operates, programs, or provides sales and other services to 199 television stations and related digital multicast signals reaching 116 markets or approximately 39% of all U.S. television households (reflecting the FCC’s UHF discount). The division’s portfolio includes primary affiliates of NBC, CBS, ABC, FOX, MyNetworkTV and The CW. The Digital Division operates 120 local websites and 284 mobile apps offering hyper-local content and verticals for consumers and advertisers, allowing audiences to choose where, when and how they access content and creating new revenue opportunities for the company. The Networks Division operates NewsNation, formerly WGN America, a national news and entertainment cable network reaching 75 million television homes, multicast networks Antenna TV and Rewind TV, and WGN Radio in Chicago. Nexstar also owns a 31.3% ownership stake in TV Food Network, a top tier cable asset.  For more information, please visit www.nexstar.tv.

Nexstar Media Contact:
Gary Weitman
EVP & Chief Communications Officer
972-373-8800
gweitman@nexstar.tv

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