Home for the Holidays, a WCCO campaign in partnership with the Minnesota Assistance Council for Veterans (MACV), is working to bring security and stability to Veterans in need. The campaign highlights the important work MACV does to end Veteran homelessness in Minnesota and shines a light on the challenges that servicemen and women face when returning home from duty.

In 2021, $820,178 was raised for MACV through viewer donations and corporate matches. Over the past five years, the campaign has raised a total of $2.2 million.Home for the Holidays wouldn’t be possible without the dedication and support of incredible partners like the Minnesota Twins, Standard Heating and Air Conditioning, Central Roofing, Livea and Papa Murphy’s.

In addition to news coverage and promotional support, WCCO created three tangible ways that corporate partners, viewers and staff could support MACV. The active engagements included a Community Tree, Days of Giving, and a Holiday StandDown. Set on the rooftop of WCCO-TV, the Community Tree is decorated with ornaments donated by generous viewers from around Minnesota. Once filled, the tree is delivered to a MACV family to enjoy during the holiday season. This year’s Community Tree was adorned with over 200 ornaments and gifted to an inspiring family who recently moved from one of MACV’s transitional homes into permanent housing. As a thank you, each viewer who donated an ornament received a coupon from WCCO partner, Papa Murphy’s.

To raise funds for MACV programs, WCCO hosted Days of Giving each Wednesday in December. During the Days of Giving, viewers were encouraged to donate online and text-to-give. Thanks to the generosity of corporate partners like Central Roofing, each donation was doubled.