The 12th annual Local 10 Big Bus Toy Express collected about 15,000 new and unwrapped toys for children in need after nine stops on Friday in South Florida.

The double-decker bus started the journey with four stops in Miami-Dade County to help the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve’s South Florida Toys for Tots support about 500 nonprofit organizations.

From 2014 to 2024, the Local 10 Big Bus Toy Express has collected more than 165,000 toys for the Toys for Tots warehouse in Hialeah. Last year, the community donated about 13,000.

This year, before the bus even left the WPLG Local 10 studios in Pembroke Park, members of the Knights of Columbus, a Catholic fraternal service organization, dropped by on Thursday with some 1,000 toys valued at about $15,000.

The “Bill In The Box” count on donations collected before crossing the Miami-Dade to Broward counties’ boundary was at 6,100 unwrapped new toys.

‘TIS THE SEASON TO GIVE: Join the effort and make an online donation here.

Local 10 News Digital Reporter Andrea Torres contributed to this report.