KUSA Provides Second Helping to Denver

Lots of stations hold food drives around the holidays, or even sporting events. And Gannett's KUSA is no exception. Last Thanksgiving, the station's 9 Cares Colorado Shares project netted a record 195 tons of food to fight hunger in and around greater Denver.

That impressive total, which marked the 25th anniversary of the campaign, was a source of pride for the both the station and the community it serves. For most broadcasters, a success that large would be the end of the story. Not so at KUSA.

You see, way back in November of 1983, just after wrapping up that first successful food drive, the station heard about an equal need on the opposite side of the calendar.

"All the food pantries told us they're hit hard during the summer months, too," says Community Relations Director Lynne Valencia. "When students are on school vacation, they no longer get free or reduced cost breakfasts or lunches."

Now in its 24th year, the summer version of 9 Cares Colorado Shares, just collected a record-setting 42 tons of donated food — a 30 percent increase over the June 2007 drive.

KUSA and its sponsors also collect cash and check donations from viewers. Monies collected in November are used to purchase additional groceries for the summer food drive. This summer's drive yielded a record $103,381 — earmarked to help survivors of last month's deadly tornados in Northern California.

This extra generosity is only partly explained by news stories about rising prices for food and fuel and their impact on low-income families. KUSA chiefly credits its employees, who fully staff the eight regional drop-off locations with energy and imagination.

"Station employees take real pride in participating," says Community Relations Project Producer Randy Barber. "There's even an informal competition between the sites."

Each donor location is more festive than the next, thanks to KUSA workers who dream up festive themes such as Mardi Gras or Beach Party, replete with costumes and decorations. After 25 years, veteran employees wouldn't think of missing it. For newbies that first food drive is a KUSA rite of passage.

KUSA staffers meet and greet each donor, pack and load boxes and trucks, and even drive the occasional forklift. "We offer some training, but our employees run the show," says Barber. "It just wouldn't be possible without them."

It takes big trucks to move tons of groceries, and those are provided to each location by King Soopers, part of Kroger chain, which also accepts grocery and cash donations in each of its supermarkets. Other sponsors provide for every other need, including refreshments (7Eleven, Coca-Cola, Subway ...), trash and porta-potties (Waste Connections of Colorado, Super Bowl Portable Restrooms.)

Although sponsors receive credit in on-site signage and on the station's Web site, and are thanked on air in a post-food drive PSA, 9 Cares Colorado Shares is driven more by generosity than sales.

"Our sales department has a package available for the November drive, but the sponsors who buy it mostly use the spots to encourage more donations," says Valencia,

9 Cares Colorado Shares has become so successful that it even serves as a model for other communities. It's not uncommon for stations to call KUSA for advice. When that happens, Valencia and Barber have compiled some tips:

1. To ensure visibility, stations must adopt the food drive as their own and give it full support in all media.

2. Prepare each donation location as you would for a live broadcast. Find out in advance about contracts, insurance waivers, power and parking requirements, and courtesy mailings to local merchants.

3. Partner with the most efficient and reliable local food bank. KUSA works with the faith-based COMPA and depends on their expertise to sort and distribute the food — to over 100 smaller local Colorado food banks.

4. Donors like to know they're helping their neighbors and they often ask where the food is going. Whenever possible, encourage food banks to distribute food close to its point of donation — already a policy at COMPA.

5. To avoid misunderstandings, make sure all donated food is distributed free and is kept separate from any foods purchased by food banks and made available for a small fee. The same goes for food purchased by viewers' cash donations.

Thinking that maybe you'd like to start or refresh a food drive at your station, but that your GM might require a little convincing? Maybe increased news ratings will do the trick.

"These drives give us an opportunity to make a real and personal connection to our viewers," says Valencia. "We often hear in focus groups that people watch us because of what we do in the community."

Market Share by Arthur Greenwald showcases innovative station projects every Monday in TVNewsday. Share one of your own success stories by writing to Arthur at greenwald@tvnewsday.com.