People are invited to bring a new unwrapped toy or book to the transit agencies’ booth where Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer and Frosty the Snowman will be collecting toys for the Salvation Army and the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve’s Toys for Tots program. There will be entertainment and plenty of chance to mix and mingle with Santa’s helpers.

At 4:30 p.m., the SamTrans mini-bus, along with costumed characters, will march in the Hometown Holidays parade.

Avoid parking and traffic by leaving the sleigh at home and taking SamTrans or Caltrain. Festivities are just steps away from the Redwood City Caltrain Station. SamTrans Routes 270, 274, 296, 390, 391 and KX serve the transit center adjacent to the train station.

Santa’s helpers also will collect toys from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., Monday, Nov. 28 at SamTrans headquarters, 1250 San Carlos Ave., in San Carlos. Cookies and hot chocolate will be served.

The San Mateo County Transit has sponsored a toy drive since 2001. In years past the Caltrain Holiday Train, a glittering show-train decorated with thousands of lights, ushered in the holiday season on the Peninsula, stopping at selected stations and collecting thousands of toys. Although budget considerations forced the suspension of the Holiday Train in 2009, SamTrans and Caltrain have continued to conduct a toy drive, collecting more than 45,000 gifts for needy Bay Area children.