Santa’s sleigh arrived early at Santa Ana College, in the form of a Santa Ana Police Department Bearcat SWAT vehicle. The pair of motorcycles that led the procession served as Santa’s reindeer.
The arrival of “The Bear,” complete with lights and sirens, was part of the festivities of the final day of the annual Stuff-A-Bus toy drive, staged this year for the first time at Santa Ana College. In previous years the Orange County version of the event was held in Anaheim at the Honda Center.
This year, a large portion of the Santa Ana Police Department toy donations, were purchased from the funds raised from the department’s inaugural 5-kilometer 31 for 31 fun run for holiday giving.
Santa Ana Police Department Deputy Chief Robert Rodriguez said the fundraising run was the idea of Chief David Valentin, and Stuff-A-Bus was a perfect venue at which to deliver the toys.
“It’s a great opportunity for the police department and the community to come together,” Rodriguez said. “Most of the events we are involved with help certain groups. This helps everybody.”
Stuff-A-Bus is a popular way to gather toys and other goods for those in need and are staged across the country by various nonprofits and volunteer groups.
Locally, ABC 7 and the firefighter-supported Spark of Love campaign sponsored Stuff-A-Bus events across the Southland at Oxnard, Ontario, Cerritos and in the San Fernando Valley.
Now in its 29th year, the day-long drive-through event was canceled last year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Ooh, neat,” exclaimed a boy from the Touch and Go Soccer Academy of Tustin, which was on hand delivering toys, when the back doors of “Bear” were opened to reveal its stash.
Filled floor-to-roof and back-to-front, the SWAT team transport was an explosion of color with soccer balls, Legos, scooters, bicycles and Hot Wheels.
Two lines of police officers, firefighters, and several volunteers formed and began transferring the trove of toys to two waiting buses, nearly filling both.
Commander Jose Gonzalez said the college was excited to be part of the event this year when a scheduling conflict arose at the Honda Center.
Gonzalez has been involved with the toy drive for more than 10 years and said back when he started, horse mounted officers from Santa Ana and other agencies would sometimes show up carrying red sacks laden with toys.
“We’re just looking to engage with the community,” Gonzalez said.
Throughout the day, residents and groups arrived to deliver toys, filling more than five buses before noon.
As drivers arrived, cheers arose from volunteers, along with police, firefighters, and city workers. Also on hand were cheerleaders for the Anaheim Ducks and the team mascot, Wildwing.
Teresa Samaniego, a spokesperson for KABC, said the goal of this year’s toy campaign was to deliver more than $500,000 in toys. The toy drive works with a wide array of school districts and nonprofits that help children affected by homelessness or domestic violence, and foster children.
The Orange County Transit Authority supplied about a dozen stuffable buses for the event.
“We hope we perform well here,” she said of the Santa Ana College site.
Summing it all up, Gonzalez said, “We don’t ever want to see kids go through a Christmas without toys.”
