Toy drive benefits needy children
It’s getting close to the time of year when people start thinking of what to buy friends and family for a holiday gift. It’s also the time of the year when a lot of people do their best to try to help those who may not be able to get a gift for their own children.
The students at South Fayette High School are, for the fifth year in a row, holding a toy drive to benefit the U.S. Marine Corps Toys for Tots of Washington County. Stuff-a-Bus, as it’s called, collected more than 2,000 toys for area children last year. The high school’s student government is running the program this year.
Carrie Torre, Miranda Mozick and Lauren Deutsch along with Brianna Hudock, student government president, are in charge of the program.
“It’s all to help children,” Mozick said. This is her fourth year helping with the toy drive. A school bus will be on display at the school in December and the goal is to fill the bus with toys to help make kids’ Christmas a little brighter.
Torre said a lot of work goes into the toy drive, such as making flyers and posters to hang in the schools.
“The most work is counting the toys,” and bagging them up for when Toys for Tots comes to get them, Torre said.
Mozick said people are very generous with their donations, and last year collected toys including matchbox cars, board games, crayons and even a bike. This year, a competition is being held within the district to see which classroom can bring in the most toys.
In addition to donations of toys, the school is also accepting monetary donations which will be used to buy toys.
Torre added she likes being involved with the Stuff-a-Bus program because, “It’s kids. You want to help out by making someone’s Christmas better.”
“It’s even more powerful because it’s high school students making such a huge difference,” Hudock said.
This year’s collection runs from Dec. 2-13. Anyone can donate to the Stuff-a-Bus program by dropping off a monetary donation or a new, unwrapped toy at the high school during normal business hours. Toys may also be dropped off from 5 p.m.-7 p.m. Dec. 3, 5, 10 and 12 and items will also be collected during the annual Breakfast with Santa on Dec. 7 at the high school.