Stuff-A-Bus campaign fills trio of buses with donated toys and gifts

Three buses of toys and gifts for Santas Anonymous arrived at Father Patrick Mercredi Community High School on Monday.

Volunteers and students will sort and wrap all the donations from the seventh annual Stuff-A-Bus toy drive to provide gifts for local kids and families this holiday season.   

The three busloads of toys and donated gifts unloaded by volunteers at Father Mercredi today were a display of Wood Buffalo’s generosity and holiday spirit.

“The people of our region are known for their incredible generosity and this year’s Stuff-A-Bus campaign in support of Santas Anonymous once again put that spirit on display,” said Mayor Sandy Bowman. “A huge thank you goes out to all involved for making this year’s Stuff-A-Bus campaign a great success, including everyone with Santas Anonymous and the students, educators, local businesses, community organizations and partners, volunteers, residents, and last but not least the Transit Services team at the Municipality.”

Santa Claus, Mrs. Claus and even Buddy the Elf joined the Stuff-A-Bus ride to spread holiday cheer at each stop and collect the generously donated toys and gifts.

“We truly cherish these moments of helping our community,” student volunteers at Father Mercredi said in a joint statement. “It is so heartwarming to see how people in Fort McMurray always come together to help people in need.  We feel so lucky to be witnesses to the thoughtfulness and kindness which exists all around us this time of year.”

Santas Anonymous is a student-led initiative at Father Mercredi School and has been in operation since 1984. The Stuff-A-Bus campaign is a partnership between Transit Services, Santas Anonymous, and this year, Mix 103.7 and 100.5 Cruz. All worked together to collect donations and help ensure all families in the region can celebrate and enjoy the holiday season.

On Friday, Dec. 9, municipal buses visited participating local businesses, organizations and schools to collect their donations. Guests on the bus included students from the Santas Anonymous initiative, Mix 103.7 and 100.5 Cruz as well as Santa Claus, Mrs. Claus and Buddy the Elf.

The donations were dropped off at Father Mercredi School on Monday morning and are now being prepared for delivery.

Mayor Bowman helped drop off the donations and thanked all the Santas Anonymous volunteers for their hard work spreading the holiday spirit. 

This year, the Stuff-A-Bus toy drive began on Nov. 14 and saw 34 organizations participate.

Learn more about the Stuff-A-Bus toy drive at rmwb.ca/stuffabus.

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