Texas Bus Driver Used Own Money To Give 70 Kids On His Route Presents

GettyImages-630492678 — A Texas school bus driver gave away 70 presents to kids on his route this year. Pictured: A man carries a gift-wrapped box on Oxford Street on December 24, 2016 in London, England. Christmas shoppers hunt for last minute presents in central London on Christmas Eve. Getty Images/Jack Taylor

Texas school bus driver Curtis Jenkins spread some Christmas cheer to the kids in his community this year by using his own money to buy them presents.

Jenkins, who is a bus driver for Lake Highlands Elementary School in Dallas, asked all the kids he drives what they wanted for Christmas and made sure to note them down. He then used his own money, along with some assistance from local community members who wanted to contribute to Jenkins' generous surprise, to give the students what they wanted for Christmas. He then filled up his school bus with a total of 70 gifts, according to People.

The school, of course, caught wind of Jenkins' gesture and praised the driver's kindness on its Facebook page. On Dec. 22, the school posted photos of the bus filled with presents on social media and revealed that there was even a bike among the gifts. In the post, they also said everyone should strive to be a little like him.

To make this possible, Jenkins decided to give up more than his hard-earned money this year. He and wife Shaneqia apparently agreed not to buy Christmas presents for each other this holiday season, so that he could use the money to buy the kids presents instead, Dallas-Fort Worth’s NBC 5 has learned.

Jenkins told NBC 5 that it was worth it. “That little time they have with me, it means so much,” he said. “I’m the first face they see before they get to school in the morning. I call my bus a community. We love each and everybody in the community.”

Jenkins also shared that despite never setting up a GoFundMe for this surprise, many people initiated campaigns for him to help him out.

This isn't the first time that Jenkins has gifted the kids on his route with presents in the past seven years that he's worked as a school bus driver for the district. He apparently regularly gave away school supplies and rewarded those who helped out on the bus by holding positions such as safety captain and chairperson. He even gave away turkeys for families in need last Thanksgiving.