Tinsel, transit & toys: Lethbridge Transit ‘wrapped’ with community spirit of holiday giving

If you saw a 30-foot bus wrapped in sparkling lights with Santa behind the wheel during the holidays, it wasn’t the seasonal sugar high playing tricks with your eyes. It was the Lethbridge Transit Holiday Bus collecting donations and spreading good cheer! 

Teaming up with community partners, the Holiday Bus visited a number of festive events throughout the season, inviting community members to drop off donations to support the Christmas Hope Campaign. 

“Lethbridge is a wonderfully generous community and we are so thankful to the community partners and everyone who donated to the Christmas Hope campaign this season,” says Joseph Bompiani, Operations Manager, Lethbridge Transit. “The Holiday Bus was a really fun and festive way to introduce residents to Lethbridge Transit if they haven’t stepped onto a bus before, while also giving back to the community.” 

Lethbridge Transit staff dropping off the Holiday Bus donations to the Christmas Hope Campaign.

Thanks to the generosity of the community, the Holiday Bus collected more than $1,500 in donations. This included more than 300lbs of food, cash, gift cards and toys, all donated to the local collaboration of agencies involved in the Christmas Hope Campaign. 

“The Holiday Bus brought a lot of joy to the Christmas Hope Campaign and offered community members another great way to support our joint efforts to serve our community,” says Danielle McIntyre, Executive Director of the Interfaith Food Bank. “Brightening up the night with a beautiful display of colour, the Holiday Bus brought awareness to Christmas Hope in addition to collecting food, funds and gifts for children at multiple community events.” 

The Holiday Bus stopped by the VisitLethbridge.com Arena, Nikka Yuko Japanese Gardens, Lethbridge and District Exhibition and partnered with the Hurricanes. Making a total of six holiday stops during December, Lethbridge Transit says they’re ready to go bigger and brighter for the next festive season. 

“We want to thank all of the community partners and residents who helped spread a little joy over the holidays,” says Bompiani. “We look forward to bringing back the Holiday Bus and supporting the community again this year.”  

Residents who entered the Holiday Bus social media contest to win an annual family pass to the Nikka Yuko Japanese Gardens and a 30-day free Transit pass have been contacted via their direct message inbox. 

For Public Inquiries: 

Call 311 | Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.