Santa made his fifth annual “Stuff the Bus” parade ride down State Street in Santa Barbara on Wednesday, collecting hundreds of unwrapped gifts for children from low-income families living at Peoples’ Self-Help Housing’s affordable housing properties in southern Santa Barbara County.
Santa traveled in a decorated Metropolitan Transit District bus, escorted by the Santa Barbara Police Department, and made stops to pick up toy and gift card collection boxes at Community West Bank, Starbucks at State and Victoria streets, Barnes & Noble Bookstore and Hotel Santa Barbara.
The bus ride ended at PSHH’s Ladera Apartments in Westside Santa Barbara where 40 volunteers sorted and wrapped the toys and gift cards. Gifts for 600 children were then transported to PSHH affordable rental complexes in Carpinteria, Santa Barbara, Goleta and Isla Vista.
Cash and in-kind supporters include Nancy and Thomas Crawford, CapitalSource Bank, Community West Bank, Santa Barbara Bank & Trust, Peikert Group Architects, Ayers Automotive Repair, B. Ray and Dianne Gateley, Penfield & Smith, Ads on the Wall, Barnes & Noble, Hotel Santa Barbara, MTD, Nu Image Signs & Graphix, the Santa Barbara Police Department and Starbucks.
Other businesses and organizations who sponsored collection boxes were Antioch University, the Arlington Theatre, Business First Bank, CapitalSource Bank, Deckers Outdoor Corp., Fresco Café at Five Points, Gelson’s Market, LF Stores, MTD, the Museum of Natural History, Nu Image Ad Group, Oliver & Espig Jewelers, the Santa Barbara County Association of Governments, the police department, Saks Fifth Avenue, Skin Deep, Starbucks, Crimson Day Spa, the Ty Warner Sea Center and the YMCA.
“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. “This is a challenging year for everyone, but together we can make a difference. For many of these children, these are the only gifts that they receive at this time of year.”
VIPs who rode in Stuff the Bus parade included county 1st District Supervisor Salud Carbajal, newly elected City Council members Frank Hotchkiss and Michael Self, as well as sponsor representatives.
The project committee members were Sara Cooper, Kate Schwab, Lynnette Coverly, Karen Hurst, officer Adrian Gutierrez, Deborah Tracy, Nadine Turner, Monica Iverson, Annette Montoya, Andre Neumann and Rochelle Rose.
To donate, contact Monica Iverson at Peoples’ Self-Help Housing at 805.962.5152 x220 or monicai@pshhc.org.
— Rochelle Rose is the fund development director for Peoples’ Self-Help Housing.