Share Your Christmas 2025 | 40th annual WESH 2 Food Drive
STORMS JASON. TODAY HERE ON WESH TWO NEWS, WE’RE CELEBRATING CHRISTMAS IN JULY. OF COURSE IT IS THE 25TH, SO WE GOT FIVE MONTHS TO GO. SHARE YOUR CHRISTMAS IN 2025 MARKS 40 YEARS OF THIS ANNUAL FOOD DRIVE TO BENEFIT SECOND HARVEST FOOD BANK, AND WE WANT TO CELEBRATE. AND WE NEED YOUR HELP TO DO IT IN A BIG WAY. WE’VE GOT SOME BIG NEW PLANS, SO HERE TO HELP US TALK ALL ABOUT IT. WE HAVE DAN SAMUELS FROM SECOND HARVEST FOOD BANK. SO, DAN, BEFORE WE DIVE IN, WE’LL GET TO THAT BIG NEWS IN JUST A MOMENT. BUT WE DO NEED TO TOUCH BASE ABOUT HOW THE FOOD BANK IS DOING RIGHT NOW. AND WE KNOW WE’RE ALL FEELING IT. THOSE FOOD PRICES HAVE GONE UP EVERYWHERE. WHAT ARE YOU GUYS FEELING? GOOD MORNING JASON. GREAT TO SEE YOU. THANK YOU FOR HAVING US AGAIN. THE NEED IN THE COMMUNITY RIGHT NOW IS TREMENDOUS. UNFORTUNATELY, WE KEEP SEEING IT GO UP VERSUS GOING DOWN. THE FOOD PRICES, INFLATION STILL IMPACTING OUR NEIGHBORS EVEN YEARS AFTER IT’S GONE DOWN, BECAUSE THE PRICES HAVEN’T GONE DOWN. AND WE ALWAYS HAVE CHALLENGES IN OUR COMMUNITY WITH AFFORDABLE HOUSING, STABILITY OF JOBS. SO OUR NEIGHBORS ARE FACING THIS ON A DAY TO DAY BASIS. ABOUT 1 IN 7 INDIVIDUALS IS AT RISK OF GOING TO BED HUNGRY, AND ABOUT 1 IN 6 KIDS. YEAH. AND THAT’S THE PART THAT REALLY, REALLY HITS HOME WHEN YOU HEAR KIDS NEEDING FOOD. SO A CAMPAIGN LIKE SHARE YOUR CHRISTMAS REALLY DOES SO MUCH GOOD. AND THIS IS HOW SECOND HARVEST GETS SOME HELP FROM US IN THE COMMUNITY TO DO THAT IMPORTANT WORK. SO WE WANT YOU TO DO THIS. DAN, TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE IMPACT THAT JUST THAT THAT EVENT SHARE YOUR CHRISTMAS CAN HAVE IN THE WORK THAT YOU GUYS DO IN CENTRAL FLORIDA. THE HOLIDAY SEASON. JASON, WHAT’S THE FIRST THING YOU THINK ABOUT? YOU THINK ABOUT ABOUT THE MEAL. THE MEAL. THAT’S EXACTLY IT. YOU THINK ABOUT A MEAL WITH YOUR FAMILY AND SO MANY OF OUR NEIGHBORS ARE EXPECTING THAT SAME THING. BUT WHEN YOU’RE STRUGGLING JUST TO PUT FOOD ON THE TABLE ON A NORMAL DAY, HOW CAN YOU HAVE THAT SPECIAL MEAL WITH A FAMILY? SO WHAT THIS THIS CAMPAIGN DOES AND WHAT OUR COMMUNITY DOES IS IT IT BRINGS US ALL TOGETHER TO HELP CREATE THAT SPECIAL MEAL, THAT SPECIAL MEMORY FOR SO MANY FAMILIES IN OUR COMMUNITY. IT DOES SO MUCH GOOD. AND WE’VE SEEN SO MANY LIVES TOUCHED THROUGH THE WORK OF SECOND HARVEST FOOD BANK. SO WE NEED YOUR HELP. WE WANT YOU TO PUT DOWN ON YOUR CALENDAR, SHARE YOUR CHRISTMAS FOOD DRIVE DATE IS FRIDAY, DECEMBER 12TH. WE’RE COLLECTING FOOD IN THOSE SIX LOCAL COUNTIES. WE PUT THEM UP ON YOUR SCREEN HERE, THE LOCATION. SO WE’RE GOING TO THE BREVARD ZOO. THE LAKE COUNTY SHERIFF’S SUBSTATION IN CLERMONT, THE FRANK DELUCA YMCA IN OCALA, CELEBRATION TOWN CENTER, DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY, AND OF COURSE, WE’RE GOING TO BE RIGHT HERE AT THE WESH TWO STUDIOS. BUT THAT’S NOT ALL FOR THIS YEAR. OKAY? WE’RE DOING IT UP EVEN BIGGER FOR 40. DAN, ARE YOU READY FOR THIS? I’M SO EXCITED. JASON. WE’VE GOT TO BRING IN ANOTHER SPECIAL GUEST. WE’VE GOT ALICIA ALBERT WITH US FROM TRACK SHACK. SHE’S THE DIRECTOR OF THE ORLANDO HALF MARATHON, WHICH YOU CAN WATCH ON WESH TWO. OF COURSE. WE’VE BEEN A BIG PARTNER AND WE’RE EXCITED ABOUT A NEW PARTNERSHIP THAT’S HAPPENING KIND OF FOR RACE WEEKEND. SO ALICIA, GREAT TO SEE YOU. YEAH. THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME, JASON. ALL RIGHT, TAKE IT AWAY. TELL US ABOUT THIS BIG NEWS TODAY. SURE. TRACK SHACK IS SO EXCITED TO INCORPORATE SECOND HARVEST FOOD BANK AND SHARE YOUR CHRISTMAS. AND ALL OF THIS INCORPORATED INTO OUR OUC ORLANDO HALF MARATHON WEEKEND. SO SOME OF THE THINGS WE’RE DOING FOR FIVE-K PARTICIPANTS, SPECIFICALLY THE BENEFICIARY, IS SHARE YOUR CHRISTMAS. SO PARTICIPANTS, I DON’T KNOW IF EVERYBODY GOT THAT, BUT SHARE YOUR CHRISTMAS IS GOING TO BENEFIT FROM THOSE ENTRY FEES AND ALL OF THAT KIND OF STUFF. SO THIS IS GOING TO RAISE FUNDS FOR THE CAUSE. DAN. THAT IS EXACTLY RIGHT. SO FIVE K PARTICIPANTS, WHEN YOU ARE REGISTERING@TRACKS.COM, THEY CAN MAKE A MONETARY DONATION TO SHARE YOUR CHRISTMAS. OR ANOTHER WAY IS WE’RE INCORPORATING A FOOD DRIVE RIGHT AT OUR EXPO THAT’S HEADING INTO OUR OUC ORLANDO HALF MARATHON WEEKEND. AND DAN, YOU KNOW THE WELL, FIRST OF ALL, WE WANT PEOPLE TO KNOW THOSE DATES BECAUSE THAT’S IMPORTANT BECAUSE THEY GOT TO SIGN UP AND BE PART OF IT. YEP. DECEMBER 6TH AND SEVENTH. DECEMBER 7TH IS THE FIVE K. YEAH. SO THE SUNDAY OF THE SEVENTH IS THAT BIG FIVE K. AND WHEN YOU COME, OF COURSE YOU REGISTER. WE WANT YOU TO MAKE THAT BIG DONATION TO SECOND HARVEST FOOD BANK THROUGH THE FIVE K REGISTRATION. AND ALSO LIKE YOU SAID AT THE EXPO, WE CAN DONATE AND MAKE A HUGE DIFFERENCE. THERE. DAN, I MEAN, MORE INVOLVEMENT TRACK SHACK AND WE SAY KUDOS TO THEM GETTING INVOLVED IN THIS. WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? HOW SECOND HARVEST FEELING? YEAH. JASON WE’RE ECSTATIC. WE LOVE PARTNERSHIPS LIKE THIS. PARTNERSHIPS LIKE THIS ARE WHAT ALLOW US TO CONTINUE TO SERVE THIS COMMUNITY AT THIS HEIGHTENED LEVEL AND DO EVEN MORE. AND, YOU KNOW, JASON, THOSE GIFTS GO A LONG WAY. EVERY $10 DONATED IS 40 MEALS GOING OUT TO THE COMMUNITY. SO WE LOVE THIS PARTNERSHIP AND EXCITED TO CONTINUE TO EXPAND THE WORK WE DO WITH SHARE YOUR CHRISTMAS AND WITH TRACK SHACK. YES, WE LOVE IT. ALL RIGHT, TRACK SHACK, THANK YOU SO MUCH ALICIA AND CENTRAL FLORIDA. NOW WE’RE ASKING YOU SIGN UP FOR THE LAKE EOLA FIVE K AND DONATE TO SHARE YOUR CHRISTMAS. IF YOU’RE NOT A RUNNER, THAT IS FINE. MAKE THAT PLAN TO COLLECT FOOD FOR THE FOOD. DRIVE THERE IN DECEMBER AND THIS IS A PERFECT TIME THOUGH. IF YOU WANT TO GO FROM THE COUCH TO A5K, YOU’VE GOT ENOUGH TIME TO DO THAT. GET STARTED. LACE UP TRACK JACKET TO HELP YOU EVEN FIGURE OUT WHAT SHOES YOU NEED. OF COURSE. YEAH, OF COURSE. I’VE BEEN THERE MANY TIMES TO GET THE ADVICE FOR THE KIDS AND EVERYTHING. ALICIA. DAN, THANK YOU GUYS SO MUCH. YEAH, AND OF COURSE WE WILL HAVE ALL THE INFORMATION FOR YOU O
Share Your Christmas 2025 | 40th annual WESH 2 Food Drive
Updated: 3:44 PM EDT Jul 25, 2025
Editorial Standards ⓘ
This December marks a huge milestone for WESH 2: For the 40th consecutive year, the station will lead a community-wide food drive benefiting Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida. The very first Share Your Christmas took place in 1986 and helped the then-Community Food Bank of Central Florida. The station collected thousands of pounds of food that year from businesses and individuals who came out to make sure that no neighbors went hungry over the holidays.40th anniversary To mark the 40th anniversary of Share Your Christmas, WESH 2 is again adding to the ways the Central Florida community can get involved in fighting hunger. WESH 2 is excited to announce a new partnership with Track Shack Events and the dedication of the upcoming Lake Eola 5k to benefit WESH 2’s Share Your Christmas. The 5k, which runs on Sunday, December 7, names Share Your Christmas as a race beneficiary. Race participants, as well as those taking part in the companion OUC Orlando Half Marathon on Saturday, will be able to donate to Share Your Christmas. Participants can make a tax-deductible contribution to Second Harvest Food Bank during the race registration process, and they may donate non-perishable food items at the race expo leading up to race weekend. This partnership with Track Shack again meets the community where they are, offering innovative ways to give back. That has been the mission of Share Your Christmas ever since! Operating in multiple counties each December, Share Your Christmas has been a one-day as well as week-long event, evolving over the years as needs in the community have changed. In 2020, as the world dealt with the COVID-19 pandemic, Share Your Christmas pivoted from a food drive to a food distribution event. That’s the only year in the 40-year history WESH 2 hasn’t collected food.Pivoting to the needs of the community, this time in how they prefer to donate, in 2013 Share Your Christmas added a Giving Tuesday telethon to Share Your Christmas. With the growing trend of online giving, Share Your Christmas combined a telethon and virtual food drive to show the community could support Share Your Christmas. The move had a significant impact in giving. Since the launch of the annual Giving Tuesday telethon and virtual giving event WESH 2 has raised $5 million for Second Harvest Food Bank.How to get involvedHere are all the ways you can be involved in the 2025 Share Your Christmas Food and Fund Drive benefitting Second Harvest Food Bank:Tuesday, Dec. 2: participate in WESH 2’s Giving Tuesday telethon by making a monetary donation online or through the Share Your Christmas phone bank, operating from 6am-7:30pmNow-Dec. 5: Register for the OUC Orlando Half Marathon, Lake Eola 5k benefiting WESH 2’s Share Your Christmas and make a donation during the registration process.Dec. 4-5: Make a non-perishable food donation at the OUC Orlando Half Marathon Race ExpoDecember 12: make a non-perishable food donation at one of six Share Your Christmas food drive locations across Central FloridaBrevard County: The Brevard Zoo, VieraLake County: Lake County Sheriff’s substation, ClermontMarion County: Frank DeLuca YMCA, OcalaOrange County: WESH 2 StudiosOsceola County: Celebration Town CenterVolusia County: Daytona International Speedway
ORLANDO, Fla. —
This December marks a huge milestone for WESH 2: For the 40th consecutive year, the station will lead a community-wide food drive benefiting Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida.
The very first Share Your Christmas took place in 1986 and helped the then-Community Food Bank of Central Florida. The station collected thousands of pounds of food that year from businesses and individuals who came out to make sure that no neighbors went hungry over the holidays.
40th anniversary
To mark the 40th anniversary of Share Your Christmas, WESH 2 is again adding to the ways the Central Florida community can get involved in fighting hunger.
WESH 2 is excited to announce a new partnership with Track Shack Events and the dedication of the upcoming Lake Eola 5k to benefit WESH 2’s Share Your Christmas.
The 5k, which runs on Sunday, December 7, names Share Your Christmas as a race beneficiary.
Race participants, as well as those taking part in the companion OUC Orlando Half Marathon on Saturday, will be able to donate to Share Your Christmas. Participants can make a tax-deductible contribution to Second Harvest Food Bank during the race registration process, and they may donate non-perishable food items at the race expo leading up to race weekend.
This partnership with Track Shack again meets the community where they are, offering innovative ways to give back. That has been the mission of Share Your Christmas ever since!
Operating in multiple counties each December, Share Your Christmas has been a one-day as well as week-long event, evolving over the years as needs in the community have changed.
In 2020, as the world dealt with the COVID-19 pandemic, Share Your Christmas pivoted from a food drive to a food distribution event. That’s the only year in the 40-year history WESH 2 hasn’t collected food.
Pivoting to the needs of the community, this time in how they prefer to donate, in 2013 Share Your Christmas added a Giving Tuesday telethon to Share Your Christmas. With the growing trend of online giving, Share Your Christmas combined a telethon and virtual food drive to show the community could support Share Your Christmas. The move had a significant impact in giving. Since the launch of the annual Giving Tuesday telethon and virtual giving event WESH 2 has raised $5 million for Second Harvest Food Bank.
How to get involved
Here are all the ways you can be involved in the 2025 Share Your Christmas Food and Fund Drive benefitting Second Harvest Food Bank:
Tuesday, Dec. 2: participate in WESH 2’s Giving Tuesday telethon by making a monetary donation online or through the Share Your Christmas phone bank, operating from 6am-7:30pm
Now-Dec. 5: Register for the OUC Orlando Half Marathon, Lake Eola 5k benefiting WESH 2’s Share Your Christmas and make a donation during the registration process.
Dec. 4-5: Make a non-perishable food donation at the OUC Orlando Half Marathon Race Expo
December 12: make a non-perishable food donation at one of six Share Your Christmas food drive locations across Central Florida
Brevard County: The Brevard Zoo, VieraLake County: Lake County Sheriff’s substation, ClermontMarion County: Frank DeLuca YMCA, OcalaOrange County: WESH 2 StudiosOsceola County: Celebration Town CenterVolusia County: Daytona International Speedway