Local 3’s 40th Share Your Christmas raises 20,000 lbs of food in less than 14 hours | Local News
Our station celebrated its 40th year of Share Your Christmas (SYC), and the numbers are in. With your help, we raised $174,796 and 20,166 pounds of food in just 14 hours for a total of $302,159 so far. This will provide more than 900,000 meals for the Tennessee Valley.
Share Your Christmas is an annual event hosted in partnership with Local 3 News and the Chattanooga Area Food Bank. The tradition goes back decades, but even after decades, the spark never goes away.
“There was some extraordinary energy and love in these four walls that was so magical and so special today,” says Melissa Blevins, President and CEO of the Chattanooga Area Food Bank.
Some things never get old, and Friday was a reminder of that.
“It’s my favorite day of the year, but something today just felt really extra super magical,” Blevins says.
Share Your Christmas shows the power of what people can accomplish when working together.
“Kindness is free,” says Blevins. “Today is just 14 hours of kindness and generosity and a community coming together in extraordinary ways.
Most of all, the special day was about making a difference in the lives of others.
“It’s just amazing, the way this community responds to the call to action when we talk about neighbors being hungry,” Blevins says. “We’re just not going to let that happen here.”
It’s important to remember that hunger can take many different forms, and it’s an issue that’s closer to home than many might think.
“I would tell people the face of hunger looks like me and you,” Blevins says. “It’s hardworking families that just hit a bump in the road. Maybe a family member got sick, or a car broke down, and they just find themselves without something to feed their family.”
For many, hunger is an everyday battle. Blevins says it’s an issue persistent in our community throughout the entire year—not just the holidays. She encourages people to help support those in need because, at the end of the day, being able to put food on the table isn’t just a privilege: it’s a basic human right, she says.
The Chattanooga Area Food Bank will continue to collect donations until the end of December. People can donate online or at their local Food City or Walmart.
