WBNS Teams For Holiday Toy, Food Drive

For a second year, Dispatch-owned CBS affiliate WBNS Columbus, Ohio (DMA 32), is teaming up with The Salvation Army, Walmart and WCOL-FM for A Helping Hand for the Holidays, a campaign designed to provide toys and food for central Ohio families in need.

A Helping Hand for the Holidays aims to grow The Salvation Army’s Christmas Cheer program into a market-wide holiday experience.  One week before Christmas, The Salvation Army converts the DiSalle Center at the Ohio fairgrounds from an empty space into a toyshop and food pantry. Thousands of volunteers work to help parents choose a toy for their children and stock a large box with all the fixings for a holiday meal for each family.

WBNS, WCOL and Walmart are working together to increase community visibility and secure donations. Walmart will set up collection boxes at their central Ohio stores.  Beginning Nov. 24, WBNS and WCOL will air announcements asking viewers to stop by their local Walmart to donate new and unwrapped toys or make cash contributions.  Salvation Army bell ringers will be stationed at each location for Red Kettle collections.

To raise additional funds, WBNS will host a day-long phone bank during broadcasts of 10TV News and throughout the day, on Wednesday, Dec. 5, from 6 a.m. until 11:30 p.m.  The phone bank will be staffed by Walmart associates, representatives from The Salvation Army and WCOL personalities.

Donations to the phone bank on Dec. 5 can be made by calling 614-821-1010 or 877-220-1010, or online by going to 10TV.com/Holidays and looking for the A Helping Hand for the Holidays link. A donation of $15 can purchase a toy for a child; $30 will provide a complete holiday meal for two families.  All proceeds from the phone bank will go directly to the purchase of toys and food.

WCOL will be hosting a special one-day toy drive on Saturday, Dec. 8, from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Hilliard Walmart. Central Ohioans are invited to stop by with a toy, meet some of their favorite WCOL personalities and register to win $50 Walmart gift cards. WCOL will broadcast live throughout the day, encouraging people to come down and donate to the drive.

On Monday, Dec. 17, WBNS will follow a convoy of trucks from the Hilliard Walmart to the fairgrounds beginning on 10TV News at Noon. The convoy will also be streamed live on 10TV.com.  Then, WBNS will provide live coverage as the final trucks make their deliveries and donations from Walmart to The Salvation Army at the fairgrounds throughout the 90-minute newscast from 5 to 6:30 p.m.

“WBNS-10TV is committed to serving the needs of our community and its members,” said President-GM Tom Griesdorn. “We are happy to partner with The Salvation Army, WCOL and Walmart to provide this critical service for central Ohio’s neediest families.”