BELLEVILLE, Ill. —
It’s the talk of the town.
Over the weekend, clothes started randomly showing up on a bus stop on North Illinois Street in downtown Belleville.
"And at first I thought it was just junk or trash that had blown there," said Amy King, who co-owns Metro Shooting Supplies, just across the street.
When King looked closer, she found this tag that read, "Bus Stop Drop: Stay Warm This Winter!"
"It looks like somebody was paying it forward, and left some things for anybody at the bus stop who needs something to wear," King said.
It's not like the folks at Metro Shooting Supplies spend a lot of time focusing on that bus stop across the street, but ever since it popped up either Friday or Saturday morning, full of hats, scarves, gloves and mittens, store employee John Girard has kept it in his sights.
"It went from pretty full last night to pretty full this morning so hopefully somebody got something they really needed," Girard said.
Sunday afternoon, the pole may be more empty, but Amy's heart is full.
"When you see something like this, you realize there are a lot of really good people out there thinking of other people," King said.
While she may not know the identity of this Bus Stop Santa, she's hopeful others will hop on board.
"I think people are in the holiday spirit. Maybe that inspired somebody to do something nice," she said.
If you know about the identity of this Bus Stop Santa, email 5 On Your Side at newstips@ksdk.com or send us a message on Facebook.
