KTVF wraps up holiday toy drive

FAIRBANKS, Alaska (KTVF) - It’s the season of giving, and KTVF joined in on the spirit in 2022 with its annual toy drive.

“There’s going to be a lot of families, that they’re going to have some pretty decent presents this year for Christmas,” said Amanda Hanson, Executive Director for United Way of the Tanana Valley (UWTV).

From Superheroes to Barbie Dolls, Nerf guns to Hot Wheels, UWTV was packed with toys for all ages on Monday, December 19. “There are so many toys. It was pretty heartening to see all the toys come in,” said Hanson.

Monday was the culmination of a weeks-long effort to gather holiday gifts for kids in need in the Interior. Explained Hanson, “The Fairbanks community is always generous this time of year.”

Locations all over the community served as drop-off sites, including Madden Real Estate, Total Toyo, Pearson Auto, Fidelity Title Agency, Enchanted Forest Toys, and UWTV itself. Now the toys are headed to partner agencies like Thrivalaska, the Resource Center for Parents and Children, and Presbyterian Hospitality House, “and when the partner agencies have finished picking up toys, what toys that we have left, we call other agencies who might need some toys,” she said.

From there, the toys go straight to the families that need them. “There are families that can’t afford toys. There’s children that, sometimes, they don’t wake up on Christmas morning with anything under the tree, and we want to make sure that that doesn’t happen.”

The drive also lends a hand to parents who may be struggling this season. Hanson said, “I know what it’s like to, ‘Are we going to be able to get something for the kids?’ It’s not about the gift, either. It’s about the giving, and if you’re a parent and you can’t give, it’s heartbreaking.”

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