CHiPs For Kids Kicks-Off Around Southland With Lots Of Folks Helping Santa

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com)  —  The 26th annual CHiPS for Kids toy drive kicked-off around the Southland Thursday.

CBS2 and KCAL9 is a proud co-sponsor of the annual event which brings holiday joy to kids and families in need.

CBS2 and KCAL9 personalities met the public, encouraged giving and helped Santa -- and his helpers -- in a variety of locations. (Bring a new, unwrapped toy to various locations)

For our stations, it is literally an all day and all night event.

Evelyn Taft, Sandra Mitchell, Rick Garcia, Jim Hill, Sylvia Lopez, Kaj Goldberg, Stephanie Simmons, Leyna Nguyen, Paul Magers, Suzie Suh, Elsa Ramon, Jackie Johnson and Pat Harvey all took part outside the Studio City Broadcast Center.

Many reporters -- including Michele Gile, Amy Johnson, Juan Fernandez, Tom Wait and Suzanne Marques -- reported from the field from locations from Thousand Oaks, to Redondo Beach, the City of Industry, Pomona and the South Bay Galleria.

PHOTOS: CHiPS For KIDS Toy Donation Kick-Off 2014

CBS2's Chief Meteorologist Josh Rubenstein did double duty for most of the afternoon anchoring our weather coverage and talking about the importance of the toy drive.

"It makes me feel good to be out here, every year," Rubenstein said, "Can I be honest? I feel kind of selfish because it makes me feel so great to help out."

Of course, Rubenstein's fans want him to promise we'll always have nice weather.

"I love that people want to talk about the weather," he said, "and the importance of the holidays, too. Everyone deserves to have a happy holiday."

The public also mingled with many CBS celebrities who came by the Broadcast Center to lend a hand. Included are the hosts of "The Talk," "Hot Bench" judges Larry Bakman and Tanya Acker, Justin Hartley (Adam) and Melissa Claire Egan (Chelsea) from "The Young and the Restless" as well as Heather Tom (Katie) and Lawrence Saint-Victor (Carter) from "The Bold and the Beautiful."

We were also visited by Nischelle Turner, Brooke Anderson and Nancy O'Dell from "Entertainment Tonight" and Louis Aguirre, Thea Andrews and Michael Yo from "The Insider."

The CHiPS for Kids toy drive runs through Christmas Eve.

RELATED: Other Info & Drop-Off Locations