Kiski Area School District stuffs a bus with toys for local kids in effort to spread holiday cheer

The Kiski Area School District hosted its ninth annual Stuff-a-Bus Toy Drive at Kiski Area High School on Saturday to ensure children in the community will wake up to presents Christmas morning.

New toys for any age range were donated to Toys for Alle-Kiski Kids, a local group that aims to make sure families in need have toys and gifts for their kids — from infants to high schoolers .

Families who dropped off toys could participate in a raffle, enjoy hot chocolate and baked goods, do arts and crafts or get pictures with Santa.

“It’s really great to give back to kids who wouldn’t get gifts like other kids at Christmas,” said Payton Buffone, a junior at Kiski Area High School.

Buffone was one of about 80 students signed up to volunteer in the four-hour event, said Jodi King, a teacher at North Primary School who helps organize the event. Students from the art department offered face painting, while others manned raffle basket tables and organized toy donations.

King spearheads the initiative with Lee Schumaker, director of Public Safety for Allegheny Township. Though the event can require a lot of work, King does it to make sure there are no kids in the community who wake up on Christmas morning with no presents.

“I’m pro-Christmas,” King said.

The event is one of several to bring in donations for Toys for Alle-Kiski Kids, Schumaker said. He’s been involved in similar initiatives about 13 years, beginning with toy drives for Toys for Tots. They began working with Toys for Alle-Kiski Kids instead to ensure the donations stayed in the community, he said.

This year’s donations will be given to about 250 families within the Kiski Area, Leechburg Area and Apollo-Ridge school districts.

“It’s grown every year,” Schumaker said. “When we started with Toys for Tots, our first toy drive was like 500 toys.”

In an average year, they bring in between 3,000 and 5,000 toys, he said.

“We get unbelievable community support,” Schumaker said, adding local businesses participate, as well.

“I’m coming to help give back with the community,” said Mackenzie Favero, a junior volunteering with the school’s Key Club. “It gets ready for Christmas. It really speaks to how we are as a community.”

She enjoys seeing the school come together to support a good cause.

“I think it’s very important to volunteer, especially at Christmastime,” freshman Alivia Sherbondy said as she sold raffle tickets. “I had a lot of fun coming when I was little.”

The event is a family tradition for Cheri Corney of Allegheny Township and her six kids. Not only is it fun for the children, she said, but it’s a good way to give back.

“It really helps all the kids in the district,” she said. “We love supporting the cause. It’ll be a tradition for us for years to come.”

Scott Brady of Apollo said it’s a good opportunity to teach his sons, Landen, 9, and Logan, 7, about giving back around the holidays.

“They do it every year to donate toys to needy families,” he said. “We like to involve them. We went last night to pick out toys to put on the bus.”

Landen said he picked a “big Nerf gun” to put on the bus. He and his brother picked out toy trucks, his father said.

School resource officers and guidance counselors at the three participating districts identify families in need and talk with the parents to determine the children’s ages and interests. Parents pick up the presents before Christmas.

Each child gets at least eight gifts, Schumaker said. They use monetary donations to buy any gifts they need that weren’t donated.

“They’re surprised when they get that many gifts, and very grateful,” Schumaker said.

He’ll begin collecting dropoff boxes that several businesses in the community have used for toy collections this week, Schumaker said. Donations will still be accepted at the township building.

“It’s breathtaking when you walk in the room,” he said of the place where they store the donations. “If you can’t get in the Christmas spirit, walk in that room, and you will.”