ROME TOWNSHIP — Students at Fairland East Elementary celebrated the spirit of giving this Christmas.

Each of the school’s 18 homerooms “adopted” a patient from River’s Bend Nursing Home in South Point.

The students filled a gift bag with items such as toiletries, candy, blankets, socks and body wash products, principal Abbie Pannell said.

“They collected them for about a week,” she said. “They were items patients might normally not have access to.

The students also made cards for their adopted patients, she said.

She said the school plans to make the collection an annual event.

“Workers at the nursing home often buy items with their own money,” she said. “They were very excited to have others do it, too.”

The gift packages were sent to the home and will be distributed on Christmas.