CHARLOTTE, N.C. — It will be a magical Christmas this year for thousands of area families in need thanks to donations to the Salvation Army's Magical Toy Drive.
With inflation and the burden of high costs, thousands of families in the Charlotte area community turned to The Salvation Army for support. Across the viewing area, The Salvation Army provided gifts to more than 15,000 children this year.
To meet the need, WCNC Charlotte teamed up with Belk, Original Mattress Factory and Tropical Smoothie Cafe to help make the holidays magical for everyone with the Magical Toy Drive.
Charlotte Soccer Academy collected a record 1,245 toys to donate. The soccer club hosts a turkey bowl every Thanksgiving and they ask families to bring a toy to donate.
"We set the goal for 1,000 toys this year. Families have been absolutely amazing. We crushed it this year," said Mark Thornton, director of operations for Charlotte Soccer Academy.
They rented a truck this year and players loaded it with donations. When Thornton opened the door, donations spilled out as players collected them to bag for the Salvation Army.
The Girl Scouts of York County also showed up with car loads of toys.
A record 3,000 toys were collected on donation day at Belk Carolina Place. That's a new record for single day donations.
Donation barrels were placed at Charlotte area Belk and Original Mattress Factory stores.
A grand total of 6,442 toys were collected during the Magical Toy Drive campaign and more than $25,000 in monetary donations. WCNC Charlotte and the TEGNA Foundation donated $7,500 to help make a difference for a child in need.
From all of us at WCNC Charlotte, thank you for helping make this holiday season a magical one for children in need!