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AVTA's "Stuff-a-Bus" Holiday Toy Drive Gets a "Boost" From the Antelope Valley Sheriff's Boosters



Lancaster - It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas at the Antelope Valley Transit Authority (AVTA)! The transit agency's 2018 Stuff-a-Bus Holiday Toy Drive is in full swing, and its specially decorated all-electric, zero emission bus has been making its way around the Antelope Valley. AVTA’s staff and charity volunteers have been busy collecting donations of new toys and clothing items for local children in need this holiday season. Their goal is to collect enough toys, clothing, and other gifts to fill the bus to the roof. With over $23,000 donated by community business sponsors to help purchase items for the toy drive, the bus is bursting with holiday cheer and the transit agency is more than halfway towards its goal. 

AVTA is especially grateful for the generous donation of thirty brand new bicycles and helmets from the Antelope Valley Sheriff’s Boosters, which will make this Christmas extra special to families throughout the AV. "Bringing joy to our neighbors and those who are in need is a great way to start the holiday season," said AVTA Board Chair Marvin Crist. "By donating to Stuff-a-Bus, we can help make the holidays much brighter for many families in our community. It's heartwarming to know that this year, there will be a lot of kids riding new bikes on Christmas morning, thanks to the generosity of the Sheriff's Boosters."

There is still room in the bus for more, and the agency hopes to fill in the gaps this weekend with another chance for AV residents to donate to AVTA’s Stuff-a-Bus. On Saturday, December 8, the Stuff-A-Bus will roll along Avenue P-8 in Palmdale as part of the Palmdale Chamber of Commerce William J. "Pete" Knight "Have a MARVEL-OUS" Christmas Parade. The final opportunity to help "Stuff That Bus!" will be on Sunday, December 9th, at the West Lancaster Walmart from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Residents can also stop by the AVTA office, Monday through Friday during regular business hours until December 10 to drop off a donation. 

The hundreds of toys and gifts collected so far would not have been possible without the generous support of major sponsors like Walmart, BYD, Transdev, High Desert Medical Group, Learn4Life, Lancaster JetHawks, Taft Electric, Duke Engineering and OpSec Security, who collectively donated over half of the overall total cash raised to purchase gifts for the valley's less fortunate children. 
For a complete list of all Stuff-a-Bus sponsors, please visit www.avta.com. 

Everything that is donated, from basketballs and baby dolls, to warm clothing, books and games goes to organizations that provide assistance to families and children in need who reside here in the Antelope Valley. Families from Grace Resource Center, Children’s Center of the Antelope Valley, SAVES, Child and Family Guidance Center, Antelope Valley Partners for Health, and the Marco & Sandra Johnson Foundation will benefit from this year's event. 

"AVTA is committed to partnering with the community each holiday season, bringing joy to those in need," said AVTA CEO Macy Neshati. "The key to our success is our staff, volunteers, local residents and sponsors, all working together with the goal of helping kids." 

AVTA provides local, commuter and dial-a-ride service to a population of more than 450,000 residents in the cities of Lancaster and Palmdale as well as the unincorporated portions of northern Los Angeles County. Its total service area covers 1,200 square miles and it is bounded by the Kern County line to the north, the San Bernardino County line to the east, the Angeles National Forest to the south, and Interstate 5 to the West.