To date, WSAW has raised $1,489,576. This year’s Share Your Holidays campaign collected $166,834 and thousands of pounds of non-perishable food.
WSAW, Gray’s CBS affiliate in Wausau, Wis., began a community project 21 years ago to collect money and food donations to be split between the Wausau Salvation Army and The Neighbors’ Place. To date, WSAW has raised $1,489,576. This year’s Share Your Holidays campaign raised $166,834 and thousands of pounds of non-perishable food.
“I know 2023 was a tough economic year for a lot of people,” says Jeff Thelen, WSAW news anchor and campaign coordinator. “Still, there was incredible generosity shown again for Share Your Holidays. Our donations were up by more than $10,000 over 2022. It’s not surprising, because the support we’ve gotten for this effort for more than 20 years now has always been amazing.”
All of the money is split between the Wausau Salvation Army and The Neighbors’ Place. Food that was donated will go to Peyton’s Promise for distribution to multiple food pantries.
“This collective effort is more than we could do alone,” says Elizabeth Robinson, The Neighbors’ Place community engagement manager. “It’s just overwhelming for us to see the outpouring of support year after year and to know that our community is willing to show up. Every little bit counts and we’re just so grateful.”
Thanks to matching grants, every dollar donated up to $85,000 was doubled. The BA and Esther Greenheck Foundation, The MacDonald Foundation, The Miller-Halvorsen Family, the Dudley Foundation, and IncredibleBank all provided matching grants.
“We extend our gratitude to our matching donors for their unwavering support of Share Your Holidays,” says Betsy Keefe, WSAW’s GM. “Their commitment to doubling every dollar donated has been the cornerstone of our success. We are in awe of their tremendous commitment to positively impacting our community.”
The 2023 Share Your Holidays campaign began on November 22nd and concluded on December 29th.
With zero overhead cost, a significant portion of Share Your Holidays continued success can be attributed to its sponsors: IncredibleBank, JX Truck Center and Wagner Shell. WSAW staff also play a large role, donating their time and resources to help support the campaign.
WSAW staff and sponsors participated in several events aimed at driving donations. On Dec. 1, staff walked along the Wausau Holiday Parade, collecting hundreds of pounds of non-perishable food and monetary donations. Then, on Dec. 19, IncredibleBank staff worked the phone lines during a two-and-a-half hour phone bank, raising $8,500.
“It’s always amazing to see how the staff comes together each year to support The Neighbors’ Place, The Salvation Army and Peyton’s Promise,” says Bridget Fargen, WSAW’s news director. “These organizations do great work ensuring people in Marathon County don’t go hungry and we are happy to be able to make their missions a little easier with the food and money we collect. I know it gives our staff a great sense of pride to know their efforts have a direct impact in our communities to ensure people don’t go hungry.”
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