INDIANAPOLIS – Our Pack the Pantries initiative got a big boost from our parent company.

The Nexstar Media Charitable Foundation, in conjunction with FOX59 and CBS4, donated $10,000 to the campaign–$5,000 each for Gleaners Food Bank of Indiana and Midwest Food Bank of Indiana.

Dominic Mancuso, Vice President and General Manager of FOX59 and CBS4, presented the check to officials from both food banks during “Pack the Pantries” coverage.

The money will help each food bank stock its shelves and provide much-needed food and supplies to families facing food insecurity in the Hoosier State.

According to Gleaners, hundreds of thousands of hungry Hoosiers depend on its services. The food bank supplies hunger relief agencies and schools throughout 21 counties in central and southeastern Indiana.

“Pack the Pantries has been one of Gleaners’ most impactful partnerships, gathering generous donations from across central Indiana amounting to millions of meals for our food insecure neighbors over the multi-year history,” said John Elliott, president, and CEO of Gleaners. “Equally important, every member of the FOX59/CBS4 family has been genuinely committed to fundraising success and telling the Gleaners story and that of the neighbors we are privileged to serve in a uniquely impactful way. We cherish the partnership.”

Midwest Food Bank distributes more than $23 million in food to more than 2,000 nonprofits each month. The group provides disaster relief aid and can deliver relief boxes within 24 hours of a disaster. Midwest provides food to over 300 agency partners in over 70 counties.

“For years FOX59 and CBS4 have supported Midwest Food Bank and Gleaners through Pack the Pantries,” said John Whitaker, executive director of Midwest Food Bank Indiana. “In addition to this signature event, they have been very intentional about providing news coverage to heighten hunger awareness in our community. As community-supported organizations, we are very grateful to have such wonderful support from corporations such as Nexstar. I often say, ‘It takes a community to feed and care for a community.’ We applaud Nexstar and FOX59 and CBS4 for their commitment to deliver award-winning news coverage to our community as well as giving hope to those caught in the grip of food insecurity.”

The program has been a tremendous success for FOX59 and CBS4, with both stations getting tremendous support from viewers.

“Central Indiana is still in the process of recovering from the pandemic, with many people who never worried about putting food on the table now finding themselves visiting a food pantry for the first time,” said Mancuso. “The Pack the Pantries project has been active for a few years now, but we’ve seen the need for food rise to an unprecedented level. We want to help these important community organizations address the issues of hunger and food insecurity in the region and bring some relief to those most in need. Giving back to the local communities served by Nexstar is core to the company’s mission and we are proud that the Foundation will make this donation in recognition of the deep relationship between WTTV-TV/WXIN-TV, our employees, and these two critically important food banks.”

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 Group Inc. and its subsidiaries do business. The foundation was originally established in 1958 and it makes donations of approximately $350,000 annually.