On a brisk Saturday at a community park in Pittsburgh, tables spilled with paint, glitter and an array of pumpkins while children and parents clustered around volunteer instructors turning gourds into miniature works of art. The City Grows pumpkin decorating event, staged in partnership with KDKA-TV and promoted on CBS News, raised donations to support the station’s annual Turkey Fund, which supplies holiday meals to families across the region.

“What started as a small fundraiser idea quickly became a neighborhood celebration,” said Anna Feldman, director of City Grows, the nonprofit that organized the festival. “We wanted to give people a tactile way to connect—art, fall tradition and charity all at once.” Feldman said attendees paid a modest entry fee and donated additional funds at on-site kiosks; proceeds and in-kind donations will be forwarded to KDKA to bolster its year-end distributions.

KDKA’s community outreach coordinator, Mark Reynolds, said the partnership brought a new energy to the Turkey Fund’s traditional solicitations. “Televised drives remain important, but events like this expand our reach into the community and introduce younger families to the idea of giving at a formative moment,” Reynolds said. “We’re not just collecting dollars; we’re building ties that keep people engaged year after year.”

Local business sponsors, from paint suppliers to bakeries, lined the perimeter with branded tents, offering discounts and samples, turning the fundraiser into a micro-economy for the neighborhood. City Grows leaders argue that such partnerships produce a multiplier effect: businesses gain goodwill and foot traffic while nonprofits expand visibility without the overhead of large-scale events.

The event also reflects broader industry trends in philanthropy and media. As charitable giving becomes more experience-driven, nonprofit organizers increasingly pursue community-centered, participatory events rather than relying solely on traditional broadcast appeals or online solicitations. Local television stations, facing pressure to demonstrate civic value while navigating tighter newsroom budgets, are leaning into these partnerships to reinforce brand trust and local relevance.

Culturally, the pumpkin-decorating push tapped into seasonal rituals that carry cross-generational resonance. “We brought three generations of my family,” said attendee Tamara Jenkins, who painted a pumpkin with her children and elderly mother. “It’s simple, but it made giving feel joyful instead of like a ledger entry.” That sentiment speaks to the social importance of ritualized generosity: when charity is embedded in community celebration, participation broadens beyond typical donor demographics.

There are pragmatic stakes as well. Food insecurity spikes during the winter months, and local organizers note that community-driven campaigns can fill gaps in food assistance by mobilizing resources faster than some institutional mechanisms. While the City Grows event is one of many seasonal fundraisers, its hybrid model — combining arts, local commerce, and media endorsement — offers a template for other organizations seeking both fundraising efficacy and civic engagement.

Organizers said they plan to repeat the event next year and explore winter adaptations, such as ornament workshops tied to food drives. For now, the sight of painted pumpkins on porches across the city will stand as a small but vivid reminder that creative civic rituals can both delight and materially sustain neighbors in need.