Santa Cruises State Street to Collect Toys for Needy Children

Santa Claus made his way down State Street on Wednesday to collect hundreds of unwrapped gifts for children from low-income families living at Peoples’ Self-Help Housing’s properties in Santa Barbara and Goleta.

At 10 a.m., Santa’s decorated MTD bus traveled down State Street, picking up toys at collection points along the way. Santa’s entourage, which included sponsors, elected officials, community leaders and PSHH staff, embarked at Community West Bank, 1501 State St.

The bus stopped and collected toy boxes at Community West Bank, Starbucks at Victoria Street, Barnes & Noble Booksellers and Hotel Santa Barbara. At the bookstore, 829 State St., several children on Santa’s bus selected books in the children’s section for their gifts, courtesy of Barnes & Noble.

Toy box collection sites included all 10 Starbucks locations from Carpinteria to Goleta, Antioch University, the Arlington Theatre, Barnes & Noble, Chilango’s, Community West Bank, Deckers Outdoor Corp, Fess Parker’s Doubletree Resort, Fresco Café at Five Points, Hotel Santa Barbara, LF Stores, Milk & Honey, MTD, the Museum of Natural History, Oliver & Espig Jewelers, Peoples’ Self-Help Housing, the Santa Barbara Public Library, the Santa Barbara Police Department, Saks Fifth Avenue, Starbucks and the Ty Warner Sea Center.

Santa disembarked at Peoples’ Self-Help Housing’s Ladera complex at 322 Ladera St., where refreshments were shared with Santa Barbara County Supervisors Janet Wolf and Salud Carbajal, City Council members Helene Schneider and Das Williams, and other dignitaries and 40 volunteers who wrapped the toys and gift cards from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

“Peoples’ Self-Help Housing’s Stuff the Bus campaign collects and distributes holiday gifts for 600 low-income kids,” PSHH Executive Director Jeanette Duncan said. “For many of these children, this is the only gift that they receive at this time of year.”

To donate, contact Monica Iverson at Peoples’ Self-Help Housing at 805.962.5152, ext. 220, or monicai@pshhc.org.

Rochelle Rose is the fund development director for Peoples’ Self-Help Housing.