TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — A Sun Tran bus became a temporary donation center Saturday as Emerge Center Against Domestic Abuse and Sun Tran teamed up for their annual Stuff the Bus drive benefiting domestic violence survivors and their children.
The event was held from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Walmart Supercenter at 7150 E. Speedway Blvd., where community members dropped off new household necessities, toiletries, clothing and gifts for children and teens.
Karina Valle, Emerge’s vice president of community engagement, said the event has become an annual partnership between the organization and Sun Tran.
“It is an annual event where we partner with Sun Tran every single year, Where we literally stuff the Bus,” Valle said.
The donations help Emerge provide basic necessities to people rebuilding their lives after domestic abuse. The organization’s services include emergency shelter, safety planning, emotional support, legal resources and housing stabilization assistance.
“It can be hygiene items, even home items, Clothing for sure… But also, this is the event we utilize To prepare for our holiday coming up in December,” Valle said.
The drive included requests for new toiletries and hygiene products, kitchen and household supplies, underwear, socks, diapers and wipes. Emerge also was collecting new toys and gifts for children and teens ahead of its annual Holiday House event.
For Valle, however, the donations represent more than the physical items collected.
“I think it’s mainly like the message from the community To let the survivors know, that they are not alone The community does care — there is someone who actually cares,” she said.
Emerge says the organization serves nearly 6,000 domestic violence survivors each year in Southern Arizona and provides a 24-hour multilingual crisis hotline, emergency shelter, community-based services and other assistance.
The organization’s 2024 annual impact report says 5,345 people experiencing domestic abuse received Emerge services that year, while the organization answered 6,754 calls through its 24-hour hotline and provided 12,782 emergency shelter bed nights.
Sun Tran Community Outreach Manager Luz Navarrete said the event also reflects the transit agency’s role in connecting with the people it serves.
“We love to have these events to giver back to our riders,” Navarrete said. “This is obviously a really special one Because we want people to have that fresh start.”
Sun Tran and Emerge have partnered on Stuff the Bus events since 2019, collecting essential supplies for people leaving domestic violence situations. In 2024, Sun Tran reported that the drive collected $2,500 in cash donations and supplies.
People who could not attend Saturday’s event could still support Emerge through its virtual Stuff the Bus drive, which allows donors to view the organization’s current wish list, shop online or make a monetary donation. Emerge says donated items must be new and unexpired.
Organizers also announced another Stuff the Bus event for Oct. 10 at the Sam’s Club on Oracle Road.
——
Eddie Celaya is a multimedia journalist at KGUN 9. Born in Tucson and raised in the Phoenix area, Eddie is a life-long Arizonan and graduate of the University of Arizona who loves the desert and mountains and hates the cold. Previously, Eddie worked in print media at the Arizona Daily Star. Share your story ideas with Eddie at edward.celaya@kgun9.com, or by connecting on Facebook or Instagram.
----
STAY IN TOUCH WITH US ANYTIME, ANYWHERE
