Thank you for your Toy Story generosity!
Three months ago, thousands of children in KZN faced the prospect of an unhappy end-of-year holiday season. These were children in state hospitals, children who had no idea where their next good meal would come from, children with no parents and no adult supervision. Thanks to the help of the people of KZN, East Coast Radio’s Toy Story with Game has managed to make a difference.
Toy Story wrapped up today following a successful three month campaign that saw 25 000 new toys being collected and R1.64 million donated by individuals and corporates across KwaZulu-Natal.
As is tradition in the campaign’s 14 year history, the Toy Story Cavalcade marked the end of another year. Travelling with a police convoy, the team today delivered the final batches of toys to Addington, King Edward VIII, RK Khan and Prince Mshiyeni Hospitals.
EThekwini Mayor James Nxumalo (pictured above with Breakfast's Natarah Nadesan) joined the team at Prince Mshiyeni Hospital to help hand out the toys in the paediatric ward.
The toys have been distributed to every child in government hospitals and clinics and to children’s homes and orphanages. For many of the children, this was the first time that their little hands unwrapped a brand new toy that was entirely theirs. From the Midlands to the North and South Coasts to Durban and surrounding areas, the smiles the new toys brought to these children in need made for an unforgettable, heart-warming and humbling experience.
Every cent of the R1.64 million donated to the initiative was used to buy food parcels for child-headed homes in KZN. Many of these destitute children rely on a school-sponsored meal to get by every day. The food parcels will help make sure they do not go hungry over the long end-of-year holidays, until schools re-open in January 2015. Each parcel was designed to feed a family of four to six for around five weeks. This year, East Coast Radio’s Toy Story with Game initiative delivered 4685 food parcels to child-headed households in KZN.
We would like to thank each and every individual and business in KZN who took the time to help make a difference in the life of a needy child. Your contributions have been invaluable. We would also like to extend our gratitude to the stakeholders who made this initiative possible: the main sponsor, Game; the official couriers of the campaign, Dawn Wing; Round Table; Rotary and the Department of Health for allowing us to take toys and food parcels to outlying areas of KZN on its Air Mercy Services.
The Toy Story winning school will be announced in January 2015.