Students at South Whidbey Elementary School have been exhibiting the spirit of giving this season with their annual holiday food drive.

The food drive began on Dec. 3 and ended Wednesday.

According to student support services staff member Ellen Wallace, the kids had gathered nearly three full barrels of food by Tuesday morning.

The non-perishable food items will be donated to Good Cheer Food Bank to help feed community members in need this season.

The Good Cheer Food Bank serves an average of 850 families a month and even more during the winter, according to the Good Cheer web site.

“I think they really enjoy helping the community. They love getting involved in helping friends and family and people they don’t even know,” said Wallace. “This is a big part of them learning how to be in the community and feeling included.”