CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Thousands of families across the Charlotte area are turning to the Salvation Army of Greater Charlotte because they can’t afford to buy holiday gifts for their children. This year, the need is even greater, with applications up nearly 40% for children age 0 to 12 years old.
To meet the need, WCNC Charlotte has teamed up with Belk, Original Mattress Factory and Ally Financial to help make the holidays magical for everyone with the Magical Toy Drive November 16 – December 6. This year due to COVID-19, collection will be a little bit different.
Here are 2 ways to give right now:
- Donate a new unwrapped toy in person at any Charlotte area Belk (store locations)
- Donate money online
To help make the Magical Toy Drive even more successful, WCNC Charlotte and the TEGNA Foundation are excited to announce a matching gift up to the first $10,000 donated online. “We know a lot of people are hurting this year,” said WCNC Charlotte President and General Manager Joan Barrett. “We’re heading into a time of year when the Salvation Army relies heavily on the public’s generosity. We understand that not everyone is in a position to give, but our community needs more support than ever. Every helping hand makes a huge difference.”
The Salvation Army hosted a contactless in-person donation drive Saturday, November 28 in the Belk parking lot of Carolina Place Mall, 11009 Carolina Place Parkway, Pineville, NC 28134 from 8:30AM to 6:30PM. Nearly 2,000 toys were collected for children in need.
New this year, WCNC Charlotte issued a challenge in the community to see who can collect the most toys. WCNC Charlotte featured the top toy collector live on WCNC Charlotte on Saturday, November 28. Congratulations to Charlotte Soccer Academy for collecting 599 toys to benefit the Magical Toy Drive.
