STORY AND PHOTO BY KAREN BOSSICK

Make the holidays merry for the children of the Wood River Valley by taking part in the 12th Stuff the Bus. 

Valley residents are invited to stuff a big yellow school bus with oodles of new unwrapped toys from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 7, at Albertsons in Hailey. Organizers hope to get enough toys for 900 children in the valley.

They will be dispensed along with Holiday Baskets for 410 families who were vetted through The Advocates, the Senior Connection and Higher Ground.

Representatives of Eye on Sun Valley, Sun Valley Realtors Give/ Holiday Baskets, Blaine County Realtors, Bus Transportation, Catholic Church kids, and Key Club student volunteers will be collecting the toy donations in the parking lot, while school bus drivers pitch in their time, as well.

Elves with the Sun Valley Realtors Give/ Holiday Baskets will then spend a week filling hundreds of baskets with toys, books, food, toothbrushes, warm winter wear and other living essentials for needy families. Sun Valley Realtors Give is now in its 20th year of facilitating Holiday Baskets.

Last year several young children brought their favorite gifts with money they’d saved from lemonade stands and other endeavors. And a Hispanic landscaper was among those who came not with toys but cash donations for the effort. Cash donations are welcome this year, as well.