Fill the Bus day is almost here and this year is a special anniversary for its leader.
For the past decade, The Hits radio host Paul Hickey has led the Fill the Bus fundraiser at Christmas, day-tripping through Rotorua and collecting donations while delivering his show on 97.5FM, live from the bus.
On Wednesday, a convoy of The Hits cars will follow the bus as it makes its way around, 30 locations including most local schools, passing Scion in Whakarewarewa, and Damar in Ōwhata.
Fill the Bus is part of the six-week Rotorua Daily Post Christmas Appeal for the Salvation Army foodbank, supported by The Hits Rotorua 97.5FM.
Hickey said the Fill the Bus fundraiser was a big highlight during the appeal because it made giving back to the community easy.
“It’s always a fun day seeing everybody contributing to a worthy cause in town and coming together for a common cause is pretty special, for it to have gone on for so long, and to still have that support, is pretty cool,” Hickey said.
It comes as the appeal for the foodbank heads into its fourth week.
In preparation for the big day, schools hosted events such as discos and casual clothes days, so they had a stockpile of food to load on to the bus as it visited their school on Wednesday. .
Shannon Brake, the teacher in charge of sports at Kaitao Intermediate, said the school was amped.
“Our students get right behind it and so much so we have already had over 95 items donated in our first week of collection.
“It is an awesome idea having the bus filled with vibrant, festive volunteers all doing their part for the community and ensuring all whānau, no matter their circumstances, have access to these services during the Christmas period,” Brake said.
Hickey said the bus had been sponsored and supplied by the Bay of Plenty Regional Council and Ritchies Transport.
Kathryn Hunter, a teacher at Malfroy School had volunteered to host Fill The Bus for longer than she can remember. She’d found the generosity of families in her community touching.
“Our families aren’t well off themselves. Some of them are struggling, and they still support this.
″Everyone in my class was in mufti, so they fully supported it,” Hunter said.
Glenholme School hosted a lunchtime disco on Thursday and collected 1564 cans to give to the bus.
Deputy principal Molly Norton said she was proud to incorporate lessons about leadership for students by involving them in Fill the Bus.
“I look after our young leaders in the school so this is part of their giving back to the community.”
The lunchtime disco was held in the school hall for the children who “danced their little hearts away”.
This year local police “jumped back on the wagon, or the bus, so to speak” and the bus would be making a stop at the main station on Fenton St, Detective Christie Gordon said.
“There is a genuine need out there in our community, so police employees have opened their wallets and generously donated toys or treats so that more families can enjoy the magic of Christmas.”
The bus would pass the police station on Fenton St where, “a team of us who’ll be working up a sweat helping to get all the toys and treats on to the bus at our collection point,” she said.
“Christmas is a magical time for so many of us, but for a lot of people, it can be really tough and challenging.
“As police officers, we see how hard this time of year can be on families, and that’s why it means so much to us to be able to help out with Fill the Bus – it’s all about the community coming together with the spirit of giving.
“The Salvation Army does an incredible job for Rotorua, and we wanted to help them help others. This is such an awesome event, and it’s all about the community. For us as cops, we don’t just police here, we live here and love this place,” Gordon said.
Chef executive of Damar Chris Bradley said it was great to be involved in the Christmas Appeal again. Providing donations was a small act of kindness that made a big difference to families in the community, he said.
“It’s potentially a difficult time of the year for some families, it’s good to be able to contribute to our local community through Fill the Bus Christmas Appeal,” Bradley said.
Hickey said the convoy on Wednesday was about “making a lot of noise and having some fun”.
“Over the last few years as the cost of living crisis has been promoted and talked about a lot more, we keep on expecting Fill the Bus to drop away, not happen and not get the same level of support, but it’s been quite the opposite, which is pretty moving,” Hickey said.
Aleyna Martinez is a multimedia journalist based in the Bay of Plenty. She moved to the region in 2024 and has previously reported in Wairarapa and at Pacific Media Network.
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