The first-ever Stuff The Bus event was a great success, organizers say.
During the event, held this past Saturday, Dec. 13 in the Olds Canadian Tire parking lot, donors -- with the help of Rotary Club of Olds volunteers -- stuffed the Sunshine Bus with toys and monetary donations for the Christmas Angels.
In turn, the Christmas Angels will in turn donate them to needy families in Olds and area.
Mary Jane Harper of the Christmas Angels estimates the bus was stuffed with $4,000 to $5,000 worth of toys. They also received about $2,700 in monetary contributions which the Christmas Angels will use to buy gift cards. Those gift cards will also be given to needy families.
The event replaced the annual check stop for donations, which Christmas Angels spokesperson Heather De Boer says proved to be too controversial.
Harper and De Boer say Stuff The Bus was so successful, they're certain it will be held again next year.
“It was really well received by everybody,” Harper said. “We almost got that entire bus stuffed with toys, so that was wonderful.”
“People were throwing out ideas to make it bigger and better,” De Boer says. “The Rotary Club people and a lot of other people commented that it was great to be off the highway too. That made them nervous. They liked coming into the parking lot and not interfering with traffic.”
Another advantage of the Stuff The Bus concept was that it enabled kids to get more involved, Harper and De Boer say.
“We had a lot of little children who were able to be a bigger part of it than the check stop would have been,” De Boer says.
“We put them right on the bus. We had them choose a spot to put their donation and thanked them so much. It helped them to understand and see more of why they were donating to this event. We had moms and dads come in and take pictures. It was amazing – the looks on their faces and the comments from the little kids.”
Harper agrees.
“It was a family event. It allowed families to connect with providing that Christmas giving spirit,” she says.
Tim Hortons provided coffee, hot chocolate and donuts. That also went over very well – with organizers, volunteers and donors alike.
“Everybody who stopped by, we offered them hot chocolate (or coffee for adults who wanted it). Kids had hot chocolate and donuts. There was just a lot of conversation and companionship too – just standing around and having a visit,” De Boer says. “If they gave a gift we made sure they got a donut and something warm in their tummies.”
“It was awesome,” she adds. “The volunteers were amazing. The Rotary Club was there all day. They had scheduled people come in and out. The posters, the signage that Olds Sign Shop donated were absolutely beautiful; they were very visible. The radio station was out; we had the tunes cranked for a while. It was a good day. The whole day just came together with everybody helping out.”
