At Erik Ramstad Middle School, kids brought in enough food donations to put together 24 Thanksgiving meals for families in need at the school last month.

Student council members Elisabeth Schaefer and Caleah Eddy, both eighth-graders, and Abby Speer and Jaxon Dodds, both seventh-graders, were among the council members who helped organize “Adopt a Turkey.” The dinners provided turkey and all the trimmings, along with some extras. Cash Wise Grocery donated 22 turkeys to the effort and Speer’s family donated two more.

Ramstad students also brought in spare change for their homerooms each day for a week and collected $1,262.16 for the Great Plains Food Bank in Fargo, enough to provide 3,786 meals to needy families across North Dakota. A charity in Fargo will match the money that was donated, doubling the kids’ original donation.

The school held a competition to determine which grade could raise the most money. The winning grade at Ramstad was the seventh-graders, who got to have their cell phones with them during school lunch for a week.

Submitted Photo Students at Ramstad donated enough food to provide about two dozen Thanksgiving dinners for families of students at Ramstad. Pictured from left to right are students Abby Speer, Jaxon Dodds, and Caleah Eddy.

Students are also planning to continue to give back this month as the Christmas season nears.

They are aware that people in nursing homes are isolated and have been unable to spend time with loved ones due to the coronavirus. Because kids from the school cannot physically visit others, Schaefer said, they are putting together a Christmas video for the nursing home residents. Schaefer said students, teachers and staff are encouraged to record themselves singing a song or telling a Christmas story or telling a seasonal joke and submit it for the video. Schaefer will edit all of the submissions and put together the final product.

“We just want to bring (them) a little joy” this month, said Schaefer, who said making the video will be fun and worth it.

Ramstad also has put up Salvation Army angel trees with Christmas wishes of children in need in the community. People can select an angel on the tree and purchase gifts that will be distributed by the Salvation Army.

The school is also participating in the annual Adopt a Tree tradition. A group of friends will come in to decorate trees that are set up in the commons area at Ramstad. Kids will get to enjoy the decorated trees throughout the month and then they will later be gifted to Ramstad families that haven’t been able to buy a tree for Christmas.

For some families, said guidance counselor Annette Stach, buying food and other necessities is a greater priority this Christmas than buying a tree.

At John Hoeven Elementary, Christmas shopping is also on the minds of fifth-graders in the school’s Character Counts Club.

In an ordinary year, the kids would raise money and then go on a shopping spree at a local store to buy toys that would be donated to Community Action.

That is harder this year because of COVID-19 restrictions, said school counselor Sarah Huss, so the trip will be taken online and the kids will pick out toys virtually. The drive was held earlier this week and the kids will purchase the toys next week. The toys will be delivered to Community Action in time for parents to pick them out at the Community Action Toy Store later this month.

Fifth-graders Lilli Jundt, Myles Mittleiider, and Ackenna Hoffman said they know their efforts will help people, especially this year.

Mittleider said a 6- or 7-year-old girl might want a Barbie doll and a 6 or 7-year-old boy might want a Monster Truck. Of course, some boys might want a Barbie doll, which is totally OK, he said, or a girl might want a Monster Truck instead of a doll.

Hoffman said the kids will count the money and create a budget before they plan the online shopping trip.

Huss said teachers at Hoeven will also use the drive as part of a math lesson.

Ramstad and John Hoeven Elementary are just two of many schools in the area that are also organizing their own Christmas donations to teach kids the joy of giving and help people who could not otherwise supply Christmas presents or a Christmas dinner this year.