COLUMBIA, S.C. — The annual Stuff-A-Bus campaign held by WLTX and The Salvation Army has come to an end this season but, thanks to a giving community, will be able to share hundreds of donations throughout the Midlands once again.
Gifts have been wrapped and will soon be on their way to bring happiness to South Carolina children throughout the region.
With the help of over 30 volunteer elves, the State Fair Grounds was transformed into Santa's workshop, taking on four buses filled with toys, clothes, and canned goods.
"Santa needs all the help he can get; so, we're trying to help," said Seamus Sarb alongside his family.
"Our bus drives into the Christmas Center here at the fairgrounds. We then fill shopping carts full of toys off the bus," Major Mark Craddock said. "Our volunteers will take that into the warehouse, sort it out by age and gender and then so, by the time we're done today, everything will be ready to start packing into the family bags Monday Morning."
With all the donations collected and presents prepared, those who volunteered to help said they look forward to seeing the families in need filled with holiday cheer.
"It makes us feel really good, and that's why we come here every year to help those who are less fortunate get the presents under their tree," said Sarb.
"I'm holding here in my hands - these are the last families that we have to pack gifts for, and this represents 350 families that this Stuff-A-Bus event will help provide Christmas for," Craddock said. "We adopt children and then collect stuff. We start the process in complete faith [that] our communities gonna back us up and they do it every year, so again thank you."
Craddock added that each year, they start with nothing but "end with everything."