Picayune-KBEY toy drive raises funds and fun for the holidays
KBEY 103.9 FM Radio host Mac Mclennahan (left) poses for a photo alongside Burnet County Clerk Vicinta Stafford, and Burnet firefighter Vaughn Ginac at the Burnet Fire Station for the annual Picayune Magazine-KBEY 103.9 FM Toy Drive. Staff photo by Dakota Morrissiey
The Picayune Magazine-KBEY 103.9 FM Radio Toy Drive brought in thousands of dollars and tons of toys on Dec. 3 at its donation sites in Marble Falls and Burnet.
“Thanks to the generosity of our Highland Lakes community, children across the area will have a brighter Christmas,” Victory Media Publisher Mandi Goldsmith said at the close of the drive. “This year’s Victory Media toy drive raised $5,060 along with an incredible amount of donated toys.”
The Picayune Magazine and KBEY 103.9 FM Radio are both under the the umbrella of the Victory Media family, and the toy drive has been an annual staple for the company for the last 14 years.
The money and toys collected during the drive are distributed among local charities that help families in need get gifts for Christmas. This year, those charities were Highland Lakes Christmas for Kids, Granite Shoals Christmas Outreach, and Burnet County Santa’s Helpers.
KBEY station manager Ben Shields broadcasted the drive live from Chevy-Buick Marble Falls, at 2301 U.S. 281 North, and KBEY host Mac McClennahan broadcasted from the Burnet Fire Station, at 2002 S. Water Street.
“Seeing people, whether it is a big or small donation, you can see that they’re genuine and their hearts are in the right place,” Shields told DailyTrib.
The toy drive has been held at Chevy-Buick for the last 10 years.
“This is the community’s dealership, so we want stuff like this to help give back,” said Damon Farmer, Chevy-Buick’s sales manager. “Since we’ve been here, we’ve reinvested half a million dollars into the Highland Lakes community.”
McClennahan broadcasted alongside Burnet County Clerk Vicinta Stafford, who is also a leading member of Burnet County Santa’s Helpers.
Members of Santa’s Helpers spend hundreds of hours buying, sorting, and delivering toys to families in need throughout Burnet County every year. Stafford and a group of other dedicated volunteers took over the organization in 2020 when it nearly disbanded during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I have a kid myself, a 13-year-old son, and I would say he is fortunate and hasn’t had to go without,” she said. “When I thought about kids not having the joy of Christmas, I couldn’t let it go.”