Santa’s CAN Do Spirit!
The National Museum of Transportation Launches Holiday Food Drive to Help Neighbors in Need
Historic MetroMarket Bus Gets a New Holiday Mission: Spreading Joy, Sharing Hope, and Helping Feed Families
This holiday season, The National Museum of Transportation is reminding the community that together, we CAN make a difference!
From November 4 through December 30, 2026, the Museum will host “Santa’s CAN Do Spirit!”, a community-wide canned food drive with collected items given to Operation Food Search and Circle of Concern, two organizations dedicated to helping families facing food insecurity throughout the St. Louis region.
Visitors who bring canned goods to the Museum during this program will receive $1 off Museum admission while helping provide food for neighbors in need.
And this year, Santa has a very special place to welcome children!
A Million Miles of Giving — and a New Holiday Mission
Recently donated to The National Museum of Transportation by Operation Food Search, the remarkable MetroMarket bus has a long and meaningful history of serving the St. Louis community.
Originally donated by Bi-State Development to St. Louis MetroMarket in 2015, the bus was transformed into a mobile farmers market, bringing fresh fruits, vegetables, and proteins directly to neighborhoods with limited access to affordable groceries.
In 2021, MetroMarket became part of local food bank Operation Food Search, continuing its mission of providing access to nutritious food for families throughout the region.
With decades of service at Bi-State and Operation Food Search, the bus traveled more than one million miles. It made more than 2,500 MetroMarket stops, and served over 105,000 families.
Throughout its remarkable journey, the MetroMarket bus brought nourishment, hope, and a helping hand to families throughout the St. Louis community.
Now, this extraordinary vehicle is beginning a new chapter.
Museum volunteers are transforming the bus into a festive holiday destination where Santa Claus will greet children and families. But its mission of helping others is far from over.
Instead of delivering food to families, the bus will now help collect food for families in need.
“Our community has always been at the heart of this bus’s remarkable journey,” said Terri McEachern, Executive Director of The National Museum of Transportation. “For more than a million miles, it delivered passengers or brought food and hope to people who needed it most. Now, we have an opportunity to continue that legacy in a wonderful new way. We know that many families are struggling with the rising cost of everyday necessities, and the holidays can make those challenges even greater. Through Santa’s CAN Do Spirit!, we hope to bring our community together to share the joy of giving and remind our neighbors that they are not alone.”
You CAN Believe in the Magic of Giving!
The Museum is inviting families, businesses, schools, community organizations, and individuals to join the effort to fill the MetroMarket bus with canned goods.
Every canned good donation, large or small, will help support the important work of Operation Food Search and Circle of Concern.
“Imagine the lesson we can teach children when they bring a can of food to visit Santa,” added McEachern. “They will experience the magic of the holidays while learning that even the smallest act of kindness can make a meaningful difference in someone else’s life. That’s a holiday tradition worth celebrating.”
Museum Merriment & Magnificent Model Trains!
The canned food drive is just the beginning of the holiday magic at The National Museum of Transportation.
The Museum’s annual Museum Merriment & Magnificent Model Trains holiday celebration begins Friday, November 27, at 9 a.m. and continues through Wednesday, December 30, at 4 p.m.
Families can experience spectacular indoor holiday model train displays, festive decorations, Santa visits, reindeer, the Holly Jolly Trolley, and the wonder of transportation history throughout the Museum’s 42-acre campus.
With something to delight visitors of every generation, the Museum offers families an opportunity to create lasting holiday memories while supporting a meaningful community cause.
How to Participate in ‘Santa’s CAN Do Spirit’ Canned Food Drive
· When: November 4 – December 30, 2026 during regular Museum operating hours
· Where: The National Museum of Transportation, 2933 Barrett Station Road, St. Louis, MO 63122
· What to Bring: Canned food donations
· Admission Incentive: Receive $1 off Museum admission when you bring canned goods.
· Who Benefits: Donated can goods will be given to Operation Food Search and Circle of Concern
· Museum Holiday Festivities: November 27 – December 30, 2026
Museum Hours: November 4 – December 30, 2026
Open Wednesday through Sunday, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m., with additional holiday hours on December 21, 22, 28, and 29.
Closed: Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve, and New Year’s Day.
For more information, visit www.tnmot.org.
One Can. One Family. One Smile at a Time.
This holiday season, The National Museum of Transportation invites the entire St. Louis community to help fill a bus that has already spent more than a million miles making a difference.
Because when a community comes together, we CAN make the holidays brighter for everyone!
One bus. A million miles. More than 105,000 families served. And a whole new journey of giving!
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