Anyone interested in dropping off donations for the Androscoggin County Chamber of Commerce’s “Stuff the Bus” gift campaign can do so at the chamber office at 415 Lisbon St., Lewiston, until Thursday afternoon. To contact the chamber, call 783-2249.

AUBURN — Alec Beaudin, 6, came up to the parked bus at the Auburn Mall carrying a new car carrier toy.

“He said, ‘This is a toy so somebody can have a nice Christmas like I will,'” said Sue Conant.

Others dropped off cash.

An elderly couple also stopped by. “She made a lot of mittens and hats through the year and brought in a whole slew of them,” said Conant as she sat in a cold bus.

The “Stuff the Bus” donation drive Saturday collected between 50 and 100 gifts for area children from newborns to 18-year-olds. By the afternoon, the bus held new jackets, snow pants, hats and toys, including remote-control cars, a Crayola “Magic Light Brush” kit and toddler “See ‘n Say” toys.

“It was a slow start this morning, but we did get quite a bit,” especially considering the tough economy and Saturday’s bitter cold, said Conant of the Androscoggin County Chamber of Commerce.

The gifts will be given to local families through three organizations, Androscoggin Head Start, Tri-County Mental Health and Advocates for Children.

The annual donation drive is sponsored by the chamber and the Young Professionals of the Lewiston Auburn Area (YPLAA). The goal is to provide hundreds of needy children with Christmas gifts. In the past two years, more than 1,400 gifts were collected, Conant said.

This year, the groups have received more requests for snowsuits, coats, scarves and hats.

“It’s harder for everybody in this economy to get the basics,” Conant said. People have responded. Individuals are giving, as well as businesses. For example, DaVinci’s Eatery donated children’s snowsuits of all sizes, Conant said.

Next up for the bus is Wednesday, when it will stop at area businesses to collect donations from employees.

On Thursday the bus will carry donations to Lost Valley in Auburn where the gifts will be displayed from 5 to 7 p.m. at the chamber’s “After Hours” gathering.

“It’s a good feeling to see all the donations and how the community has pulled together,” Conant said. The public is welcome, she said.

Afterward, Advocates for Children, Head Start and Tri-County Mental Health representatives will divide the donations, wrap the gifts and distribute them to families.

Northeast Charter and Tours donated the bus for the charity drive, and bus drivers volunteered their time.

Stephen Craft of Litchfield was behind the wheel Saturday. “I’m helping out another driver who was asked to do this,” he said. “Her finances were so tight she couldn’t afford the gas. It’s a double thing,”helping a fellow driver and area families, he said.

Throughout Saturday morning volunteers stood outside the bus, some wearing Santa hats, waving and smiling, hoping to attract attention and donations. “We’re trying to stay warm,” said chamber president Chip Morrison. “The Farmers’ Almanac predicts the day we do this is the coldest of the year,” he said.

Michaela and Emily Craig, sisters who attend Lewiston High School, volunteered because “it’s been a tough past few years,” Michaela said. “It’s great to see all the faces and kids get their presents.”

Annie Quandt, another Lewiston High student, volunteered because more people need help in this economy. “Many kids don’t have anything and aren’t going to get anything,” she said.

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Alec Beaudin, 6, of Auburn drops off a toy truck during Stuff the Bus Chamber Kids for the Holidays at the Auburn Mall on Saturday. Donated toys will be divided among three area agencies before being given to children in need, said Sue Conant, events coordinator for the Androscoggin County Chamber of Commerce. More than 1,400 toys were collected for Advocates for Children, Androscoggin Head Start and Tri-County Mental Health during the 2008 event, Conant said. Beaudin helped during the collection last year and shopped with his mother, Darcie, and his father, Scott, for this year’s toy drive.

Androscoggin County Chamber of Commerce members wave to shoppers in the frigid cold parking lot of the Auburn Mall during the Stuff the Bus Chamber Kids for the Holidays on Saturday. From left are Sue Conant, Hillary Verrill, Christine Cummings and Chip Morrison.