A bus stuffed with people can be hot and annoying, a bus stuffed with toys, now that is worth celebrating.
How about a dozen buses stuffed with toys?
Well … Merry Christmas!
Raquel Ortiz, left, and Angela Madison of Caltrans carry armloads of Christmas toys to one of the many buses at the Orange County Transportation Authority Stuff-a-Bus toy drive at Santa Ana College in Santa Ana on Friday, Decmber 17, 2021. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Alex Romero, center, of Santa Ana unloads one of three bikes he brought to the Orange County Transportation Authority Stuff-a-Bus toy drive at Santa Ana College in Santa Ana on Friday, Decmber 17, 2021. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Members of the Santa Ana Police Department help carry Christmas toys brought by the Weisman family of Anaheim to the Orange County Transportation Authority bus at the Stuff-a-Bus toy drive at Santa Ana College in Santa Ana on Friday, Decmber 17, 2021. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
A stuffed toy animal sits in the window of an Orange County Transportation Authority bus at the Stuff-a-Bus toy drive at Santa Ana College in Santa Ana on Friday, Decmber 17, 2021. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Volunteers help unload a SUV full of Christmas toys brought by the Weisman family of Anaheim to the Orange County Transportation Authority Stuff-a-Bus toy drive at Santa Ana College in Santa Ana on Friday, Decmber 17, 2021. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Christmas toys fill one of the many buses at the Orange County Transportation Authority Stuff-a-Bus toy drive at Santa Ana College in Santa Ana on Friday, Decmber 17, 2021. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
A member of the Orange County Fire Authority carries bags of stuffed toy animals to one of the many buses at the Orange County Transportation Authority Stuff-a-Bus toy drive at Santa Ana College in Santa Ana on Friday, Decmber 17, 2021. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Volunteer Lisa Cordero of Laguna HIlls helps unload Christmas toys from a vehicle at the Orange County Transportation Authority Stuff-a-Bus toy drive at Santa Ana College in Santa Ana on Friday, Decmber 17, 2021. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Kate Newton, left, Thomas Correll of Sacramento and his parents Wayne and Diane Weisman of Anaheim stand inside an Orange County Transportation Authority bus at the Stuff-a-Bus toy drive at Santa Ana College in Santa Ana on Friday, Decmber 17, 2021. Continuing a long-time family tradition, they brought a SUV full of Christmas toys to the toy drive. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Raquel Ortiz, left, and Nathan Abler of Caltrans dance in the parking lot at the Orange County Transportation Authority Stuff-a-Bus toy drive at Santa Ana College in Santa Ana on Friday, Decmber 17, 2021. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
The annual Spark of Love toy drive was hosted all day Friday, Dec. 17, at Santa Ana College, stuffing bus after bus provided by the Orange County Transportation Authority.
Southern California firefighters and ABC7 organize the drive every year, making sure the gifts get to children and teens in the region who might not be expecting a lot for Christmas. This was the last event of this year’s campaign.
Speaking of teens — and tweens — the call went out this year for more gifts they might enjoy and Eric Carpenter, spokesman for the OCTA, said people really stepped up to make sure the older children were represented.
“That was good to see,” he said.
After the drive had to go virtual last year and had previously moved from its longtime home at the Honda Center, Carpenter said it was a little slow this morning. But by noon six buses had been filled. A flatbed truck of bicycles was also collected.
“We are very thankful to the people who did take the time to find us at the new location,” he said, noticing people seemed to really appreciate being able to drop off presents in person. “The giving spirit was certainly strong.”
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