KMBR-FM Helps 1,500 Families through the "Helping Hands Clothing Drive"

Topic: Neighbors in Need

Late in the fall, before winter sets in, KMBR-FM in Butte, Mont., encourages its listeners to donate food, warm clothing and money to help those less fortunate. In 2007, the sixth year of the KMBR Helping Hands Clothing Drive, more than 1,500 families in the area were provided necessities. For four weeks, the station ran both live and recorded announcements more than a dozen times a day asking listeners to make donations. Leaders from the Butte Rescue Mission and Butte Cares Inc. were interviewed on the air. On the day items were distributed, General Manager Chris Ackerman gave live reports and the station broadcast announcements encouraging families needing a helping hand to come to the event. After all items had been given away, the station used the power of the airways to thank the Butte community for its generosity. One mother of three small children said that the event provided clothing for her family for an entire year. "A family will come with an empty car and leave with a car filled with clothes, food and smiles," said Ackerman.

Read more stories on Neighbors in Need »