FOX40 along with Big O Tires, Star 106.5, Papa Murphy’s Pizza, KHOP @95.1, and Unisun Solar are teaming up for the annual FOX40 Holiday Toy Drive benefitting Shriners Hospitals for Children.

New, unwrapped toy donations will be accepted between Nov. 16th and Dec. 11th at participating Big O Tires and Papa Murphy’s Pizza locations in the Sacramento, Stockton, and Modesto areas. The toys will be delivered live on FOX40 News between 8:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, Dec. 17^th, by Big O Tires, Star 106.5, Papa Murphy’s Pizza, KHOP @95.1, and Unisun Solar. The staff at Shriners Hospitals for Children-Northern California will wrap the toys just in time for Santa Claus to deliver Christmas morning.

If the public responds as they have in years past, these toys will last for much longer than just the holiday season. The toy room needs to be refreshed every so often, and sometimes children have to spend their birthdays in the hospital. This donation drive gifts these children all year long.

Leigh White, general manager at FOX40 said, “At FOX40, children matter. Each year we strive to help Shriner’s kids because let’s face it: no one wants to be in the hospital, especially around holidays or birthdays. If this drive can brighten a sick child’s life on a special day, it’s the least we can do to support the great work already being done at Shriners.”

“The FOX 40 Holiday Toy Drive epitomizes the spirit of the holiday season—that special time of year when spirits are uplifted by acts of kindness and generosity,” said Melissa Grialou, manager of the Therapeutic Recreation and Child Life program at Shriners Hospitals for Children-Northern California. “The magic of the season comes to life when the toys are delivered to the hospital. Our team of ‘Santa’s Helpers’ go to work immediately, selecting individual gifts for each of our patients and wrapping them for Santa to deliver to the kids on Christmas morning. It is remarkable. There really are no words to truly express the depth of our gratitude and the positive impact this community event makes on the patients, families and staff at Shriners Hospital.”

Shriners Hospitals for Children-Northern California is a regional pediatric medical center providing highly specialized care and rehabilitation to children with congenital conditions and complex medical needs regardless of the families’ ability to pay. Located just minutes from downtown Sacramento, the Northern California Shriners Hospital treats children with orthopaedic conditions, spinal cord injuries, burns, cleft lip, scars from any cause, specialized plastic surgery, and other complex surgical needs. The hospital is a destination of choice for families throughout Northern California, the Western United States, Northwestern Mexico, and Canada. The course of care is determined individually for each patient. Each patient’s path to success is fueled by private donations and driven by excellence in treatment, teaching and research.

KTXL, owned by Tribune Media, first signed on the air on Oct. 26th, 1968. Today, FOX40 News produces 44 hours of local news each week, more than any other station in the Sacramento-Stockton-Modesto market. For more information please visit www.fox40.com.

Tribune Media Company (NYSE: TRCO) is home to a diverse portfolio of television and digital properties driven by quality news, entertainment, and sports programming. Tribune Media is comprised of Tribune Broadcasting’s 42 owned or operated local television stations reaching more than 50 million households, national entertainment network WGN America, available in approximately 73 million households, Tribune Studios, and Gracenote, one of the world’s leading sources of TV and music metadata, powering electronic program guides in televisions, automobiles, and mobile devices. Tribune Media also includes Chicago’s WGN-AM, and the national multicast networks Antenna TV, and THIS TV. Additionally, the Company owns and manages a significant number of real estate properties across the U.S. and holds other strategic investments in media. For more information please visit www.tribunemedia.com.

Here are locations where you can donate toys while buying a take-and-bake pizza between now until Dec. 11^th: Citrus Heights, 7528 Greenback Lane and 6456 Antelope Road; Carmichael, 6470 Fair Oaks Boulevard; Rancho Cordova, 3557 Bradshaw Road.

Source: Will Holbert at RSE on behalf of Papa Murphy’s Pizza