Wal-Mart to donate $75K to HELP of Southern Nevada

By Paul Takahashi

Thursday, Dec. 2, 2010 | 5:35 p.m.

A local social services organization is receiving an early present this holiday season.

Wal-Mart is presenting a $75,000 check on Friday to HELP of Southern Nevada, the beneficiary of the 98.5 FM KLUC’s Chet Buchanan and the Morning Zoo Toy Drive.

The check will be presented to HELP representatives on Friday at 9 a.m. at the Toy Drive, located in the parking lot of NV Energy, 6226 W. Sahara Ave.

The check from the national retailer represents the largest cash donation in the 12-year history of the toy drive. This year’s fundraiser began on Thursday and will last until Monday, Dec. 13 at 10 a.m.

“To receive this gift from Wal-Mart allows us to be collaborative and generous, not only to our clients and their families, but to the greater community and the nonprofit community,” Fuilala Riley, the COO of HELP, said in a statement. “Reaching to goal to serve 15,000 kids still does not meet the demand in Southern Nevada and that is eye-opening and heart wrenching.”

The radio station’s annual fundraiser seeks to collect enough toys to benefit 15,000 children from low-income families. HELP collects and distributes the donated toys to qualified families and collaborates with other local nonprofit groups to organize holiday programming.

Buchanan is expected to sit on a three-story scaffolding structure in the NV Energy parking lot -- 24 hours a day throughout the 12-day drive -- to raise money for the cause.

Donations of new, unwrapped toys and bicycles are being accepted at two locations: NV Energy, 6226 W. Sahara Ave., and HELP, 1640 E. Flamingo Road, Suite 100. Gift cards in increments of $20 to $25 as well as personal donations are also accepted.

HELP of Southern Nevada assists more than 100,000 low-income families and individuals to become more self-sufficient through direct services, trainings and referrals. For more information about the toy drive, visit www.kluc.radio.com/toy-drive or call (702) 236-6353.

To donate online, visit www.helpsonv.org.