BUCKHANNON – Before you drive on down to Number One Auto Sales in Buckhannon, load up your trunk with some Yuletide goods.
The automotive dealership is collecting all-new toys and clothes for kids to assist Upshur County’s Salvation Army Unit with its 2024 Angel Tree Christmas project.
Shea Phillips, general manager of Number One Auto, and Melissa Vaughan, social services coordinator for Salvation Army units in Buckhannon and Elkins, have announced a partnership Phillips has dubbed ‘Jam the Van.’
“I’ve wanted to do something like this for years, and I’d always had the idea of, ‘Stuff the Bus,’ but I couldn’t find one that was cheap enough – nobody’s trading buses – but we got this van traded in, and we were going to sell it, but it has 230,000, and there’s not a lot of value there.”
But one day, as Phillips pulled into the lot and when he saw the van, an idea came to him.
“The van was sitting there, and it just hit me,” he said. “Instead of ‘Stuff the Bus,’ we could do ‘Jam the Van.’”
Phillips contacted Vaughan with the Salvation Army to ensure the goodie jammed in the van would make it to the kids and families who needed them most.
The Jam the Van campaign revved up Oct. 15, but people may bring new toys and clothes to the dealership through Saturday, Dec. 14. The distribution will take place Dec. 18 at Way of Holiness Church, the Salvation Army’s distribution site for its Angel Tree program in Upshur County.
“We’re asking for new toys and new clothes – no used – and we’ll put them in the van,” Phillips said.
To incentivize kids to help others have a brighter Christmas, children and adults who bring toys and clothes will get a chance to deck out the van (forget the halls!)
“It’s ugly, so we want to make it pretty,” Phillips said. “We’ve got some neon-colored spray paint, and we’re just going to let them spray paint as much as they want.”
Phillips will then deliver them to Melissa Vaughan’s distribution site ahead of the Dec. 18 distribution date, which is only for Upshur County kids and families.
“We’re going to slide those toys in where they’re needed with the angels’ gifts,” Vaughan said.
Tablets, clothes, winter coats and winter boots are some of the most requested Christmas gifts this year.
“I’ve had a lot of angels want tablets, and not very many people will get them,” she said. “But if there’s a corporation that wants to put 10 tablets in that van, I am happy to see that. Normally, we most need winter coats, winter boots, warm winter clothes and hoodies – that kind of stuff. We can always use them in every size, and it won’t be a problem to find a spot for them.”
Vaughan said the number of angels (children ages 0-12) and families has risen significantly since December 2022, when the Salvation Army served 391 individuals in Upshur County, including parents.
“In 2023, we did 488, and already this year, we have approved 347 applicants, and we’re still halfway out,” Vaughan said. “This year’s distribution is going to trump last year’s; we’re going to have close to 550 or maybe even 600 people that we’re going to be serving. It’s scary that we have that big of a need, but we’re here to fill it, and it’s wonderful that Number One Auto is helping us out with that.”
“We just want to help as much as we can,” Phillips said. “We’re in a good location that’s very visible to a lot of people driving by. We know a lot of people want to help, but they don’t know how to help, so we want them to know, ‘Hey, we’re here, and we’ll make sure they get to the right place.’”
All new toys and clothes may be dropped off anytime through Dec. 14 during Number One Auto’s regular business hours of 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturdays. Not from Buckhannon? The dealership is located at 50 North Locust Street.
Any questions? Give Number One Auto Sales a call at 304-472-1101.
