TAMPA, Fla. – In a year of uncertainty, one thing is for certain, the community came out in full force to help the kids!
Every year for the last 9 years, Orlando Davis, host of Orlando and the Freakshow on Wild 94.1, sleeps for 8 straight nights in a tent that is suspended 30 feet in the air, known as the “Toy Tower,” which is set up in the Metro By T-Mobile parking lot on the corner of Dale Mabry Highway & Columbus Drive- 2907 N Dale Mabry Hwy, Tampa, FL 33607. This charity event is something that Orlando does to benefit the children of The Children’s Home Network.
2019 set new records that were going to be hard to beat, especially during a pandemic. But Tampa Bay CRUSHED those numbers and set a new record. In 2019, there were 844 bikes donated and $42,900 in cash and gift card donations. One challenge that was faced this year across the Bay Area and the United States was the availability of bicycles.
Bicycle sales were up over 120 percent from the previous year as people look for alternative transportation methods and outdoor activities as gyms remain closed or partially open. What this means to most of the United States is a bicycle shortage that will be felt for some time to come. As many people searched the Bay Area for bicycles, they found empty shelves that would normally be fully stocked this time of the year. But that did not stop people from purchasing the bikes they could find or donating money or gift cards instead.
Orlando’s 9th Annual Holiday Toy Drive – Tampa 
Orlando’s 9th Annual Holiday Toy Drive – Tampa 
Orlando’s 9th Annual Holiday Toy Drive – Tampa 
Orlando’s 9th Annual Holiday Toy Drive – Tampa 
Orlando’s 9th Annual Holiday Toy Drive – Tampa 
Orlando’s 9th Annual Holiday Toy Drive – Tampa 
Orlando’s 9th Annual Holiday Toy Drive – Tampa
This year, according to the rolling total tote boards that were stationed at the Orlando’s Annual Toy Tower, boasted higher than expected numbers. The Cake Girl Bike Tote Board totaled 568 bikes, and The RusticLove Vintage and More ‘Gift Card Tote Board’ totaled $110,417 in cash and gift card donations. These are record setting numbers in a normal year, let alone a pandemic.
As 2020 comes to a close, charity events like this remind us that Tampa is a great community that comes together, especially in times of need. It was not only refreshing to see how the community turned out to help, but also the business community that sponsored this event make it a reality.
The sponsors this year included:
- Dr. William Adams Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
- Metro by T-Mobile
- Walmart
- Fuccillo Nissan of Clearwater
- Happy’s Rent to Own
- Zoo Tampa
- Children’s Home Network
- Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Tampa
- Stepp’s Towing Service
- The United Brotherhood of Carpenters
- RusticLove Vintage and More
- T-Mobile
- The Cake Girl
- 1-800 ASK-GARY
- Heineken
- PODS
- Solid Platforms, INC
- Sunbelt Rentals
- Nelsons Tents & Events
- McDonalds, Caspers Company
For more information on this event visit https://wild941.com/toydrive/.