Together for Colorado Toy Drive Collection Day in full swing
Donations of toys have been rolling in at King Soopers stores on our Together for Colorado Toy Drive Collection Day. The donations go to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Denver and most will help the children who go to the clubs have a more memorable holiday. Other toy donations will go towards future parties where toys are given out.
"We provide a safe, fun, inspiring place for kids in kindergarten through 12th grade with afterschool and summer programming," said Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Denver spokeswoman Carrie Zwanzig on Thursday. "They can build healthy lifestyles, they can get mental health support and we do a lot of fun activities for kids across metro Denver."
Some generous people in the community who have come to the grocery stores on Thursday have given one toy and other kind people have given a truckfull. The toy drive is ongoing and will run through Christmas Eve, but Thursday is the big day when CBS Colorado newscasters and other staff will be out at multiple King Soopers stores broadcasting live and encouraging donations in newscasts.
CBS Colorado Mornings anchors Brian Flores and Michelle Greigo were out at the King Soopers at Yale & Colorado (2750 South Colorado Boulevard) in Denver in the morning and at noon and were there to welcome big donations from groups that included Viewhouse, the Optimist Club of South Monaco, Suncor and South Metro Denver Realtor Association.
"We've been long-term partners with the Boys and Girls Club forever and even CBS Colorado, too, so just to continue that relationship and that partnership (and collect toys) is something that we've done every year for the last 7 years," said Kelsey James, director of marketing for Viewhouse as well as their sister restaurant My Neighbor Felix.
Those restaurants have all been collecting toys for the Together for Colorado Toy Drive since last month.
"It's important to us to make sure that these kids actually get to enjoy a wonderful Christmas," said Kendall Potts, who is also a marketing manager for Viewhouse as well as their sister restaurant My Neighbor Felix.
One young Boys & Girls member named Daniel came to King Soopers with his sister, also a member, and his parents, to talk about how much he enjoys coming to the clubs.
"I think it's so fun because they have fun activities and programs and they also let us have fun and they let us go outside and they also let go to the gym. And they let us go to club parties," he told Flores and Griego.
Zwanzig said the holidays can be a stressful time for some people and particularly for members of their clubs and their families.
"We are so pleased to have this community-wide effort where people across metro Denver are coming together to bring 28,000 toys for the 28,000 kids we served last year," she said. "We want one toy for every kid in our club."
Flores and Griego will also be reporting live at noon. Reporter Olivia Young will join the coverage from the King Soopers at 8673 South Quebec Street in Douglas County (Highlands Ranch) starting at noon. At 4 p.m. Karen Leigh and Michael Spencer will be at the Yale & Colorado location. Gabriela Vidal will then be live in Adams County at the King Soopers 100 North 50th Avenue in Brighton. Tori Mason will be in Aurora at the King Soopers at 25701 East Smoky Hill Road. Karen Morfitt will be in Jefferson County at the King Soopers in Lakewood at 7984 West Alameda Avenue.
Santa Claus himself also made a special visit to King Soopers to oversee how the toy drive was going. He was proud to see bins filling up with donations. You, too, can help out and make a donation to help the Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Denver.
In addition to the grocery stores where CBS Colorado will be broadcasting live from, there are many other King Soopers stores across the Denver metro area where you can make a toy donation. Get the full list at CBSColorado.com/toydrive/.
