Ten students in Richard Hildner's global village class decided not to take the spirit of holiday giving sitting down.
On Saturday, Dec. 12, they volunteered their time to ring bells for the Salvation Army.
"It gives students a sense of personal value and a value to their community," said Hildner, who spontaneously thought up the project. "It places students in a positive light in the community."
"I think it will be a meaningful experience," said junior Zach Roberts before Saturday. "We need to realize how many people are in need, and we need to do something about it."
The students took five two-man shifts from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., standing in front of Tidyman's grocery store in Kalispell.
During their assigned times the students rang bells and greeted customers entering and exiting the store.
"It makes you feel good because you're helping people through hard times," said senior Emily Heinzen.
"Even though it was cold, it was still a good feeling to help people in need," said senior Ryan McClarty.
The funds that were placed into the donation kettle go to helping families in need during the Christmas season.
"It's good to help people, especially when you're helping to raise money for a good cause," said senior Molly Brown.
"I thought it was fun to see little kids asking their mom for money to put into the bucket," said senior Marci Viano.
"It (the donations) helps them through the holiday seasons," said McClarty. "But, through slower times too."
"The Bible says that we should give back to our society," said senior Chris Holden. "The more fortunate should help the less fortunate."
"I hope they learned it's easy to volunteer," said Hildner. "It's productive, and it's rewarding to not only the volunteer but to the community as well. They also learned a lot about human nature."