TODAY’s toy drive raises $25.5 million
The show’s 13th Annual Holiday Gift Drive will help four million kids
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Through your generosity, we helped make the holidays brighter for more than four million children. These children may not have any gifts at all without the help of TODAY viewers who opened their hearts this year to help needy families all over the United States.
The latest data reports that 37 million Americans are living in poverty. Families are still displaced by Hurricane Katrina. Military families are still waiting for loved ones to return home. As a matter of fact, a greater portion of families and children live in poverty in America today than three decades ago. The effort to help children continues a long tradition of reaching beyond Studio 1A and into the lives of families in underserved communities in more than 200 domestic nonprofit family charities.
Since its inception, The Today Show Toy Drive has distributed more than $140 million dollars in toys, books, games, clothing, electronics, baby items, school supplies, furniture and computer equipment. It is a project of the Today Show Charitable Foundation, Inc., a 501c3 non-profit organization. All donations are tax deductible to the extent the law allows.
In 1994, the Today Show Toy Drive became the first independent gift drive in morning show history. The unique program is designed to provide gifts for impoverished children and teenagers up to age 18 nationwide. This year’s effort has already begun, with items being shipped early to communities who have dire need to house and clothe millions of children. It's now time to reach out to every viewer. Please help us during these trying times to give a gift to every child on our list. For many of them, we are the ONLY source of gifts for the holidays.
The toy drive is now a Rockefeller Center tradition. Surprise celebrities visit the crowd each morning to gather up their donations. Among those who came through the years have been George Clooney, Hillary Swank, Jim Carrey, Sarah Jessica Parker, Ben Stiller, Bonnie Hunt, Jack Black, Dermot Mulroney, Edie Falco, Jamie Lee Curtis, Chris Brown, Ashanti, Paula Abdul, Rick Springfield, Sting, LL Cool J, Chris Isaak, Harry Connick, Jr., Martin Sheen, Julie Andrews, Lynn Redgrave, Lionel Ritchie, Avril Lavigne, Naomi Watts, Whoopi Goldberg, NY Mets manager Willie Randolph, Robin Williams, NY Yankees Alex Rodriguez and Joe Torre, Henry Kissinger, Yogi Berra, Mister Rogers, Joe Perry from Aerosmith, Susan Lucci, Molly Shannon, Donald Trump, Jimmy Smits, Phylicia Rashad, LeAnn Rimes, NASCAR'S Kurt Busch and Jimmy Buffett.
On the air
Major donations from corporations began on November 20 and by the end 116 companies and countless Today Show viewers made contributions either in person on the plaza, or online from home.
The recipients
All donations, large and small, put some cheer into the holidays for a child who may otherwise not have received any gift at all. The items are often given to families who cannot afford to buy presents, so that the children can open a gift that's given to them by a loved one, not a charity. These items go to 206 organizations in all 50 states reaching millions of kids. Recipients include homeless shelters, children's group homes, schools, foster family services, domestic abuse shelters, Native American missions, military bases, hospitals, preschools, after school programs, and the Boys and Girls Clubs of America and National Head Start.
Thank you to all who worked with us in making the toy drive successful for another year.
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