Santa pulled up to the Castanet offices Wednesday morning with a couple of helpers to collect donations for the Salvation Army.

Every year in December, the Santa Bus cruises around the Central Okanagan, collecting food, toys and cash donations for those in need.

Last year, the bus collected $8,456 in cash and gift cards, 517 toys and 5,281 pounds of food.

Over the past 13 years, organizers say they've raised almost $350,000 for the Christmas hamper program.

Santa picked up dozens of food and toy donations at Castanet, along with just over $1,300 in cash.

The bus will continue on throughout the Okanagan, collecting donations until Saturday.

The Parade of Lights, which takes bus riders through some of the more popular Christmas light setups in the area, will run Friday and Saturday night.

For those who weren't lucky enough to get tickets for the Parade of Lights, both nights are now sold out.