TTC employees are hosting their tenth annual Stuff-the-Bus Toy Drive at participating Walmart stores across Toronto this weekend. This year, the employees will set up four of the TTC’s 12-metre (40-foot) buses as drop-off stops for new, unwrapped toys, which they’ll donate to the Canadian Centre for Abuse Awareness.

The Stuff-the-Bus weekend drive officially kicks off Friday, November 25, on Q107’s Derringer in the Morning, from 6 to 7 a.m., when the TTC’s chief executive officer, Andy Byford accepts donations outside Corus Quay on the eastern waterfront at 25 Dockside Drive. The bus then parks in front of the Walmart store at 1900 Eglinton Avenue East at Pharmacy Avenue from noon until 8 p.m. to accept donations.

TTC staff receive toys to “stuff the bus” at each of these Walmart stores Saturday, November 26 and Sunday, November 27:

• 1900 Eglinton Avenue East (at Eglinton Avenue East and Pharmacy Avenue) — from noon until 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. Sunday;
• 2265 Islington Avenue (at Rexdale Boulevard) — from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday;
• 799 Milner Avenue (near Milner and Morningside Avenues, just north of Highway 401) — from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday; and
• 2525 St. Clair Avenue West (near St. Clair Avenue West and Runnymede Road) — from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

This year, the organizers have planned a special “Stuff-the-Streetcar” toy drive Saturday, December 3 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the streetcar loop at Queen Street East and Kingston Road.

TTC operator Kevin Kane and a team of volunteers organize the first Stuff-the-Bus toy in 2007. Last year’s drive gave Christmas gifts to more than 500 families with children. To date, the toy drive has brightened the holiday season by helping more than 4,000 families and 13,000 children. The event has collected more than $438,000 worth of toys since it started.

The Canadian Centre for Abuse Awareness is a national, charitable organization that has served Canadians since 1993. The Centre’s mandate is to significantly reduce the incidence and impact of abuse through education and public awareness. It operates solely on private donations without sustaining funds from any government body.