NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — After a record setting year in 2022, the Last Minute Toy Store is gearing up to help thousands of Davidson County families in need again this year.
Starting Dec. 1, families who are experiencing financial hardships can register for the Last Minute Toy Store to ensure their kids have a great holiday season. Just hours after registration opened, hundreds of people had already registered. Last year the program served nearly 7,000 children.
The Davidson County Sheriff's Office has been hosting LMTS for 30 years. The Sheriff’s Support Center on Harding Place is transformed into a toy store, where people can come and shop for free gifts for their children ages zero to 18. The community donates thousands of toys to the DCSO to give to families in need. The program provides items such as bikes, dolls, books, gift cards, basketballs.
"It's one of a few places where you donate a gift, and you can come down here and watch someone pick it out for their kid," said Jake Waddell, a volunteer with the Last Minute Toy Store. "I don’t know how it gets any better than that."
This program is for families who live in Davidson County and are not already receiving assistance from other charitable organizations during the holidays. The families served may be dealing with unemployment, illness, or other reasons that make it difficult to provide both Christmas gifts and pay the bills. Proof of being a family in need will be required.
The big shopping event is Dec. 15-17. There are several ways you can donate, or you can sign up to volunteer to help give out the toys to families.
For people of my generation, in our younger days we spent part of our weekends watching music shows like American Bandstand and Soul Train. That was before the age of music videos. Several years before Soul Train was syndicated out of Chicago, another syndicated R&B show was taped in Nashville at NewsChannel 5. Night Train aired in the 60s and included what may have been the first TV appearance for legendary guitarist Jimi Hendrix. Forrest Sanders has another great look back at station history.
-Lelan Statom
