MANTI, Utah - Students at Manti Elementary School got a special delivery Wednesday, and it came via a fleet of airplanes led by Santa Claus himself.
The 25 small aircraft brought in more than 6,000 pounds of school supplies. It’s called Santa Flight, and it's a program run by the non-profit group Angel Flight West. Every year, the pilots team up with local Boy and Girl Scouts to gather donated supplies and money for a title one school in Utah.
“I have a little tear when I see it,” said pilot Stephen Booth. “They’re so excited. Especially when Santa pulls up and gets out of the airplane.”
The scouts and pilots also collected more than $6,000 in cash donations for Manti Elementary. Principal Karen Soper said the whole experience was emotional.
“This is life changing for these children," Soper said. “It’s going to take the money, put it back into teachers' pockets and back into our school supplies where we have to scrimp and save all the time for the things that we need.”
The school held a special assembly to thank the pilots and the scouts for their generous delivery, but the pilots and scouts said their thanks is seeing the smiles on the kids' faces.
“I didn’t think they were all going to be there,” said Boy Scout Brandon Colemere. “But it was pretty awesome seeing them all cheering.
More information on the Angel Flight West program can be found online, here.
