Kare11
Give a gift to kids in need with Toys for Tots
GOLDEN VALLEY, Minn. — If you have some extra cash this holiday season, consider the gift of giving to others!
Twin Cities Toys For Tots is looking for new and unwrapped toys to give to children who might not otherwise receive a holiday gift. The United States Marine Corps has worked with the group to distribute more than 652 million toys to more than 290 million children over the past 77 years.
If you’re interested in giving, you can drop off toys at KARE 11 at 8811 Olson Memorial Hwy in Golden Valley. Toy collection will run from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. from Dec. 2 – 18.
If you live closer to Bloomington, Toys for Tots will also have a collection at the Mall of America in the southeast court and in between Forever 21 and Spirit Halloween.
GOLDEN VALLEY, Minn. — The Marines’ Toys of Tots campaign is back for the 2024 holiday season! KARE 11 is proud to partner with the Marines as we collect toy donations at our studios in Golden Valley.
Below, find out more information about where to donate, what to donate, how to appear on television, and how to receive a toy for your child.
Where can I make a toy donation?
The KARE 11 Toys for Tots tent will be open from 8:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m. starting Dec. 2 through Dec. 18 at our studios in Golden Valley.
Can I donate money?
Yes! You can make a monetary donation through KARE 11’s Give 11 page, or using the form below. Give 11 is a website that makes it easy to donate whatever you can afford. You can also donate directly to the Marines.
How can my group sign up to share our donation story on a KARE 11 newscast?
You can still sign-up for an on-air appearance on KARE 11 using this form. We’re especially looking for organizations or groups who can stop by in the morning for recorded appearances that will air during our noon and 4 p.m. newscasts.
What kind of items can be donated?
The Marines accept monetary donations and new, unwrapped toys. Some examples are games, action figures, dolls, baby toys, puzzles, and non-realistic-looking weapons. They do accept homemade toys but ask that they are safe and free of sharp edges and small items that could be swallowed or otherwise injure the children that receive these donations.
Toys are distributed to kids from 0 – 15 years old. Typically, there is a shortage of toys for infants and teenagers.
Gift cards are accepted but are not distributed as gifts. The Marines take donated gift cards and purchase gifts for the program.
When is the last day you are accepting toys?
The Marines are asking for toys and financial donations to be donated by Dec. 18 to allow time for them to be distributed.
How can my child receive a toy?
Families need to contact a distribution agency working with Toys for Tots. For a list of agencies, click here.
Only toy requests by family members with custodial responsibility are normally approved; other requests are considered on a case-by-case basis. The age limit is 15 years old.
A child may only be registered through one charity organization. Multiple registrations by different family members, at different locations, are not allowed.
How do I get a receipt for my donation?
A receipt/combination letter will be provided to the donor that appears on the donation check ONLY. This will be issued sometime in January/February of the following calendar year, by the corporate office in Virginia, NOT by the local office. We are not legally allowed to provide any receipt to anyone.
The above applies if you host a charity fundraiser event and collect donations in the form of checks addressed to Toys for Tots/Marine Toys for Tots Foundation that are turned into the local office(s).
If you have donations made out to a person/company who then processes those donations into a check made payable to Toys for Tots/Marine Toys for Tots Foundation, a receipt will be issued to the name on the check only.
How do I become a Toy Distribution Agency?
To become a Distributor (agency) you must complete the form on www.toysfortots.org. Agencies are required to have a 501(c)3 Tax ID number and must be located in counties that are covered (which include Anoka, Carver, Chisago, Dakota, Hennepin, Ramsey, Scott, and Washington Counties). Visit www.toysfortots.org for full details and a full list of counties served.
Does the Twin Cities Toys for Tots have a Facebook page?
The Marines’ Twin Cities Toys for Tots page is located here: http://www.facebook.com/t4ttwincities. Please like and share this page.
More information about Twin Cities Toys for Tots program can be found on the local Toys for Tots website.
The attack left a 17-year-old employee with a 2- to 3-inch laceration to the back of her neck.
CARVER, Minn. — Editor’s note: The video above first aired on KARE 11 on Nov. 25, 2024.
A Kansas City man is being held in the Carver County Jail on assault charges after prosecutors alleged he critically injured a teenage Fleet Farm employee.
The criminal complaint filed Tuesday showed 31-year-old Gerald Hudson was charged with first- and second-degree assault, for the attack that left the 17-year-old employee with a 2- to 3-inch laceration to the back of her neck. Court documents said the alleged assault occurred inside the company’s Carver location just after 2 p.m. Sunday.
According to prosecutors, surveillance video showed Hudson entering the store before walking past the teen and to the end of an aisle. Authorities claimed Hudson looked right and then left before turning around and making a “striking movement” toward the teen, who was then seen on video holding the back of her neck and running from the area.
A witness told police they heard the teen yell, “he just stabbed me,” and saw the suspect, now identified as Hudson, run outside to the parking lot and drive away.
The complaint said Hudson was arrested in Chanhassen and brought in for questioning, where authorities claim he made a number of voluntary statements, including, “I didn’t stab anyone, I didn’t have any guns or anything like that, I just hit someone with a thing.”
The teen, prosecutors said, was taken to HCMC for treatment and her last known condition was critical but stable.
At the time of the filing, prosecutors said a potential weapon had still not been located.
A judge set bail for Hudson on Tuesday and scheduled his next court appearance for Dec. 13.
The Minneapolis Police Department said the shooting happened just before noon at a Lowry Avenue gas station on the city’s north side.
MINNEAPOLIS — A 23-year-old man is dead after being shot Monday outside a Minneapolis gas station.
The Minneapolis Police Department said the shooting happened just before noon at a Lowry Avenue gas station on the city’s north side.
Police said their investigation suggests the victim was outside the store when he was approached by another man, who they said pulled out a gun and shot the victim before fleeing from the area.
MPD said the man who was shot was transported to North Memorial Medical Center, where he died from his injuries. He has not yet been identified.
If you have any information about the incident, police ask you call CrimeStoppers at 800-222-8477 or online at crimestoppersmn.org.
