MBTA Celebrates 24th Annual Fill-A-Bus
with Gifts Event
 |
MBTA
General Manager Eng showcased one of the gifts benefiting the MSPCC,
the Boys
and Girls Club of Boston, and Heading Home.
by the MBTA
Customer and Employee Experience Department. |
The 24th Annual Fill-A-Bus with Gifts is
sponsored by the MBTA and MassDOT with toys provided to the Massachusetts
Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, the Boys and Girls Club of
Boston, and Heading Home.
This year, MBTA and MassDOT employees donated 2,651 gifts
– the highest-ever toy count for the Fill-A-Bus gift drive, surpassing the
previous highest tally in 2023.
 |
MBTA
General Manager Eng showcased one of the gifts benefiting the
MSPCC, the Boys
and Girls Club of Boston, and Heading Home.
by MBTA
Customer and Employee Experience Department. |
BOSTON – Last Friday, across the City of Boston, the MBTA
and Massachusetts Department of Transportation celebrated their 24
th Annual
Fill-A-Bus with Gifts holiday drive. MBTA General Manager Phillip Eng and MBTA
staff were at the State Transportation Building, and Transportation Secretary
and CEO Monica Tibbits-Nutt and Registry of Motor Vehicle (RMV) employees were
at the Boston RMV at Haymarket.
“It is gratifying to have the MBTA, the Registry of Motor
Vehicles, and other state agencies offer opportunities to help ensure that
every child has a gift this holiday season,” said Transportation
Secretary and CEO Monica Tibbits-Nutt. “This season, I encourage our
employees and all members of the public to make an extra effort to perform a
gesture of kindness, express a warm greeting, and take actions that convey a
sense of caring toward others.”
“Transportation workers from the MBTA and across MassDOT
have shown tremendous generosity for over twenty years by filling a T bus with
toys for young people during the holiday season,” said MBTA General
Manager and CEO Phillip Eng. “This event is entirely employee-driven
and represents the true spirit of what we stand for as public servants – thank
you to the many MBTA employees who organize this event every year and who offer
gifts that fill our bus. I’m also grateful to our partners at the Massachusetts
Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, the Boys and Girls Club of
Boston, and Heading Home for ensuring these gifts reach families during the
holidays.”
“The MBTA’s Fill-A-Bus with Gifts event is an opportunity to
give something back during the holiday season with the Fill-A-Bus stopping at
MBTA garages, RMV locations, MassDOT offices, and other locations each
December,” said MBTA Graphics Manager David Wood who has
organized the Fill-A-Bus with Gifts event for the last seven years. “Every
year, I’m proud to see so many of my Transportation colleagues participate –
the kindness offered by so many of our MBTA and MassDOT peers in their
gift-giving is a joy that benefits so many during the holidays.”
This year, MBTA and MassDOT employees donated 2,651 gifts –
the highest-ever toy count for the Fill-A-Bus gift drive and surpassing the
previous highest record in 2023 – to their Fill-A-Bus partners at the
Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (MSPCC), the
Boys and Girls Club of Boston, and Heading Home.
“In December 2023, MSPCC provided gifts to more than 900
children. For children supported by MSPCC, gifts from the MBTA and MassDOT
Fill-A-Bus are more than ‘just toys – these gifts give children in our
communities the ability to experience the joy of the holidays as well as a
sense of belonging and self-worth,” said MSPCC Director of Development
Melanie S. Lima. “Moreover, almost all MSPCC clients live in poverty, and
our parents share with us their hopes to provide a joyful holiday for their
children, but how finances are a challenge and a cause of stress. By providing
families with gifts for their children, MSPCC, with the support of the MBTA
Fill-A-Bus, is able to relieve some of that stress that comes with the holiday
season, and provide a happy holiday for hundreds of children.”
“Thank you, MBTA and MassDOT, for your continued support and
partnership to bring joy, hope, and happiness to the underserved and
under-resourced children and families we serve,” said Boys & Girls
Clubs of Boston | Yawkey Club of Roxbury Chief Impact Officer Andrea Swain.
“Toy donations provided by the MBTA Fill-A-Bus allow us to distribute toys to
children ages 6-12 in need who are enrolled in our afterschool program or
participate in our community outreach initiatives. Thanks to your generous
donations, every member of our club receives at least one new toy. The impact
of your donations is immeasurable.”
“The support of the MBTA and MassDOT, via the Fill-a-Bus
initiative, has enabled us to bring a little extra holiday cheer to all our
families for multiple years and counting now. For our families and kids, it’s
so much more than just toys – it’s a way to make shelter feel more like home
every holiday season,” said Heading Home Donor Stewardship Manager
Calleigh Hynes-Leach. “There’s nothing like the smiles on the kids’ faces
when we’re able to drop off car-fulls and car-fulls of toys to our shelters and
programs every December. From both our staff and clients, we are so grateful
for the generosity of the MBTA and MassDOT and everyone who donates toys!”
MBTA and
MassDOT employees filled a bus with 2,651 gifts this year – the highest-ever
toy count for the Fill-A-Bus gift drive. Complimentary photo by the MBTA
Customer and Employee Experience Department.
