Santa Claus is coming to town in a bus, and needs the Antelope Valley to help fill it up with toys. The Antelope Valley Transit Authority (AVTA) Stuff-A-Bus holiday toy drive is collecting donations of new unwrapped toys, clothing and gifts for children ages 0-18. For more than 20 years, this annual event has brought joy to the hearts of local children in need during the holidays by collecting enough toys and clothes to fill their specially decorated 40-foot bus to the roof. All items donated will stay here in the Antelope Valley, and will benefit children from Grace Resource Center, South Antelope Valley Emergency Services of Palmdale (SAVES), Children’s Center of the Antelope Valley, Children’s Bureau, the Child and Family Guidance Center and the Marco & Sandra Johnson Foundation. Charity volunteers work hard alongside AVTA staff to ensure that the children and families they serve will have a much brighter holiday season.
"AVTA is committed to partnering with the community each holiday season, bringing joy to those in need," said Board Chairman Marvin Crist. "The key to our success is our staff, volunteers, local residents and sponsors, all working together with the goal of helping kids."
This year, the transit agency wants to “Stuff That Bus!” with more donations than ever before, and will have four locations for AV residents to help make a local child’s holiday season much brighter. On Dec. 5, the AVTA Stuff-A-Bus will roll down Lancaster Boulevard as part of the Lancaster Chamber of Commerce "Toy Trains & Candy Canes" Christmas Parade. Immediately following the parade, the Stuff-A-Bus will be parked in front of the West Lancaster Walmart on Valley Central Way from noon to 5 p.m. to accept donations from the community, with radio DJ's from KMIX and the Quake broadcasting live from the event. On Dec. 6, AVTA's newest community partner, the West Palmdale Walmart, will host the Stuff-a-Bus from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in front of its store on 10th Street West.
"We're thrilled to have the West Palmdale Walmart step up as our newest location this year," said Executive Director Len Engel. "The generosity of our major sponsors, Walmart, Complete Coach Works, BYD, and Transdev, along with the cities of Lancaster and Palmdale, makes a huge impact in the lives of many local families. Granite Construction, OpSec Security, and the Jethawks are also major sponsors who have contributed substantially to help make AVTA’s Stuff-a-Bus a huge success."
On Dec. 12, the Stuff-A-Bus will make an appearance on Palmdale’s “Miracle Mile” (47th Street East) as part of the Palmdale Chamber of Commerce William J. "Pete" Knight “Frozen” Christmas Parade. Later that same day, AVTA will take part in "A Magical BLVD Christmas" on Lancaster Blvd. From 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., the Stuff-a-Bus will be ready and waiting for donations of new unwrapped toys and clothing. The city of Lancaster and Remax have partnered to supply a large quantity of gift items at this event, and for a small donation, folks can choose an item to stuff inside the bus. The final opportunity to help "Stuff That Bus!" will be on Dec. 13, at the Antelope Valley Mall front entrance, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Residents can also stop by the city of Palmdale City Hall, Monday through Thursday between 7:30 a.m. and 6 p.m. until Dec. 10, to drop off a donation, as the city’s staff is conducting a toy drive to help fill up AVTA’s Stuff-a-Bus.
