Community Transit Stuffs a Bus for Families in Need

In the rush of the holiday season, many of us forget how very fortunate we are. Sometimes it takes special people in the community to remind us of what's important. Last weekend Community Transit was honored to be part of a community that believes in making a difference. Enthusiastic employee volunteers greeted shoppers with holiday cheer at the Snohomish Fred Meyer, encouraging them to help us Stuff a Bus for charity.

And did they ever! The generosity of our community was a humbling and wonderful thing to witness. Some families shocked us by donating entire shopping carts. Small children shyly handed us special toys they picked out for another child to receive. Still other shoppers handed us a jar of peanut butter or a bag of rice saying they wish they could do more. From the largest gifts to the smallest, our community came together to give what they could to those who are struggling.

Through our partnership with Volunteers of America, Everett Transit, and the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 1576, we were able to fully stuff a 30' bus with non-perishable food, toys, and baby necessities. In one weekend alone, our community generously donated over 1,800 pounds of food, nearly 350 pounds of clothes, hygiene and baby items, and 365 pounds of gifts worth over $4,000. There were also cash donations nearing $350.

The bus was driven to the Volunteers of America Sultan location which services families in desperate need in north Snohomish County. Thank you to everyone who so generously gave so that the most vulnerable in our community find relief. Your kindness highlights the true meaning of the holiday season, bringing others comfort, peace, and joy.

Community Transit Stuffs a Bus with Holiday Cheer for Charity

Each year during the holiday season, so many families rely on the generosity of their communities to help feed their families and give their children a little bit of the season's magic. Community Transit is thankful to be part of a community that values service to its residents, from the youngest to the oldest. It has never been more evident to us how very generous our community is than during our charity outreach last weekend for Stuff a Bus.

This holiday season, Community Transit partnered with Volunteers of America, Everett Transit, and Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 1576 to help stuff a bus with food and toys for families in need. On December 10th and 11th, shoppers at the Fred Meyer in Snohomish were greeted with a decked-out Community Transit bus and cheerful Community Transit employee volunteers who handed out wish list items for desperately-needed, non-perishable food, toys, and baby items. The response from our community was overwhelming! Not only was our bus stuffed to the rooftop, we also filled Oxy Gene's van!

The bus was driven to the Volunteers of America Sultan location which services north Snohomish County. It took a half-dozen Community Transit employee volunteers and 20 VOA volunteers a solid hour to unload the bus. Everyone was surprised and delighted at just how very kind and charitable our community is. Donations far surpassed what Volunteers of America had hoped for. In one weekend, we helped to collect 3,000 lbs of food and over $6,000 in toys, as well as clothing, cash, and baby items. The diapers that were collected meet the agency's need for an entire year!

Community Transit employees were so moved by the outpouring of support from the community for the Stuff a Bus program. From single bags of rice to entire shopping carts filled with food and necessities, it was a privilege to witness the holiday spirit as those that could give, gave what they could. Volunteers of America is using these donations to stock its food banks to fill holiday food baskets distributed by the agency to those families in Snohomish County who are in desperate need. Toys will be distributed through the agency's holiday program, where families are invited to choose a gift for their children so that every child has something to open during the holidays.

Giving Tree: Serving a Homeless Community in Need

Holiday dreams came true this week for 70 homeless high school students from the Everett School District. With over 3,000 homeless school-aged children in Snohomish County, homeless teens are often overlooked during the giving season. These 70 teenagers aren't just homeless, they are unaccompanied; they do not have a legal guardian. Due to devastating circumstances, it is often safer for these teens to sleep on a friend's couch, or in a car, or on the street than it is to be with their parents or guardians.

Somehow, though, these inspiring teens manage to make it to school each day to receive an education. Community Transit was moved by their stories and chose to support them through its annual employee-sponsored Giving Tree program. We partnered with Volunteers of America and Washington Kids in Transition (KIT) to ensure that these 70 teenagers were not forgotten this holiday season. Giving Trees were set up at four different locations throughout Community Transit's Everett operating bases, decorated with tags that listed a gift as well as hygiene items needed for each of the 40 male and 30 female students. Generous employee gifts ranged from warm jackets and outerwear to art sets and makeup kits.

Backpacks were stuffed to the brim with a wrapped gift, $25 gift cards to stores like Fred Meyer and Target, and hygiene kits. These backpacks were then delivered to counselors at Jackson High School, Cascade High School, Everett High School and Sequoia High School who distributed them with care and consideration to those in need. Many counselors were overwhelmed by the gifts, saying these were the only gifts many of these homeless teens would see this year.

Many thanks to Community Transit business partners Otak, Parsons Brinckerhoff, and Perteet for donating brand new backpacks for the teens. Thank you, also, to Everett Costco, Fred Meyer, Target and Walmart for assisting with donations for the hygiene kits. Because of their help we were able to provide full hygiene items which make such a difference to providing these teens the dignity they deserve. Lastly, thank you to all of the Community Transit employees who participated in the Giving Tree program. Your generosity gives hope and cheer to children who, against all odds, are attending school each day to better themselves. Thank you for making a difference.