Christmas was brighter for thousands of kids in Topeka this year thanks to Alpha Media joining forces with the Topeka Rescue Mission. The organizations collected thousands of items to distribute to families who otherwise might not have had any presents under the tree. Around 4,000 people were helped this year with 3,700 toys being collected for kids. Volunteers and mission staffers spent several days transforming a north Topeka warehouse into a holiday-themed store stocked with a wide range of household items, clothing, toys, and knick-knacks. Families and individuals were able to pick come in and pick from the donated items as they would any commercial retailer.
Alpha Media, Topeka Promotions Director, Torey Berndt said, “Everyone knows a kid in their life and everyone has families in their lives. To know what it’s like for yourself on Christmas and to know that you’ve given that feeling to someone else is great. We still have toys coming in at the radio station because they heard about it a couple weeks ago.”
“We could not have done it without the toy drive and the gift drive. We helped so many people and they were so grateful to be able to get the gifts for their families and children,” remarked Kay Ireland, Topeka Rescue Mission Director of Distribution.
