The annual event will collect toys for those in need this time of year
ORANGE – Santa is looking for elves to help fill OCTA buses with toys for local children in need on Friday, Dec. 18 from 4:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. at Honda Center in Anaheim.
The public is encouraged to bring new, unwrapped toys or sporting equipment to the Honda Center parking lot at 2695 E. Katella Ave. in Anaheim for the 23rd annual Stuff-A-Bus event. Toys will be distributed to children throughout the community.
The event supports the Spark of Love Toy Drive and is sponsored by the Orange County Transportation Authority, ABC7, Honda Center and the Anaheim Ducks.
Alysha Del Valle and Bri Winkler of ABC7 will be on-site to broadcast the event and greet the public, while firefighters from across Southern California will help collect and load the toys.
Last year’s event was record-breaking, with 27 buses filled with toys and bicycles. It beat the previous year’s record of 17 buses and one flatbed truck. This year OCTA, ABC7, Honda Center and the Anaheim Ducks hope residents will come out to donate more toys than ever before.
“There’s no better way to spend the holidays than giving back to children in need,” said OCTA Chairman Jeff Lalloway, also Mayor Pro Tem of Irvine. “The Stuff-A-Bus event is a perfect opportunity to do just that. I encourage everyone in Orange County to stop by the event and donate a toy to help make this a special Christmas for those who need it most.”
All donations benefit the Spark of Love Toy Drive, a program that has collected more than 9 million toys for kids in Southern California over the past two decades. Firefighters from Orange, Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino and Ventura counties have supported the Spark of Love Toy Drive for more than 20 years.
