A first-grade class at Jackson Milton Elementary School is collecting snacks to donate to the Rescue Mission of the Mahoning Valley.

Ms. Corinne Tomaino's class started a snack drive six years ago for Kindness Month and has continued the tradition every year since.

Since the beginning of the snack drives more than 6,000 individual snacks have been collected by Tomaino's students. This year, her class will come close to 1,500 snacks.

The first year started as a cereal collection and evolved from there.

“By collecting snacks, it has helped my students make important connections in their own lives. Miss Crystal (Eckman) with the Rescue Mission has shared information and allowed my students to gain a better picture of why we are collecting snacks for the kids at the Rescue Mission. They are learning to care about others, recognize a need, and problem solve to help with that need.”

Tomaino said her students get excited when donations come in and love counting how many snacks they collect.

“Ms. Tomaino has been doing this for 6 years and has such a huge heart for the Mission and the children. I love how she chooses to educate the children by having me share about who the Rescue Mission of the Mahoning Valley helps. It’s wonderful to see her class helping children staying here at the Mission. This gives them such a great understanding of the community," Rescue Mission Ambassador Crystal Eckman said.