From November 23 to December 14, IDF Mobilités is providing a refurbished bus to collect donations of second-hand toys in very good condition for the benefit of children benefiting from French Secours populaire. The Christmas bus operation passed through La Norville and it will pass through Brétigny-sur-Orge, Morsang-sur-Orge, Sainte-Geneviève-des-Bois and Saint-Michel-sur-Orge.
It's big, it wears festive Christmas colors and it's filled with toys. This is the Christmas bus born from a collaboration between Ile-de-France Mobilités and the bus company Transdev for the benefit of charitable associations such as Secours populaire français.
For three weeks, the bus travels through several towns in the Cœur d'Essonne Agglomération region with a very specific goal: to collect games and toys for the most deprived children for Christmas, and has been doing so for seven years.
The bus receives the donations and drops them off at the Arpajonnais Committee of Secours populaire français where volunteers sort them according to the age categories of the beneficiary children. In La Norville, on Wednesday November 27, Evelyne and Jean-Claude came to drop off stuffed animals and clothes in like new condition: “ Our grandchildren are still young, but if we can help other children benefit, it's a good thing “. A regular donor for several editions confides anonymously: “ I buy new toys in clearance stores or in supermarkets when there are great promotions, because I know that families will be happy to have new toys. “. This year, she dropped off scooters, puzzles and little characters.
After the first hour of collection, rows of bus seats were already filled with toys, board games, books and stuffed animals. Jessica came to drop off baby toys, books and construction games with her daughter, which they no longer need: “ I think it's important to show her that the toys she no longer uses can be given to children in need. “. In 2023, nearly 200 toys were collected at Norville. They are distributed to children aged 0 to 5, who collect several toys each. This concerns around fifty children. Children aged over 5 have cinema tickets, which are financed by another means.
The Christmas bus made its first stop at Sainte-Geneviève-des-Bois on November 23. He will return to the town for the Christmas market on December 6 from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. He will also make a stopover at the Christmas market in Saint-Michel-sur-Orge Saturday November 30 from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. on the town hall square. HAS Brétigny-sur-Orgeit will be possible to drop off donations on Saturday, December 7 in the parking lot of the Maison neuf shopping center from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m., then on Wednesday, December 11 at the same times during the Christmas market. The last date is scheduled for Saturday December 14 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Intermarché parking lot in Morsang-sur-Orge.
