AMHERST — As the holiday season comes to a close in the next few weeks, students from Deerfield Elementary School’s Out-of-School-Time Program have gotten into the giving spirit themselves.

Earlier this month, students put together small, handmade crafts each day after school and then sold them at a recent craft fair held at the school, all while collecting non-perishable food and other personal hygiene products for the Amherst Survival Center, where several kids made the trip to late Wednesday afternoon to drop off the $130 and 88 pounds of supplies.

“It’s very exciting,” said fourth grader Kamryn Beck. “It feels good because you’re helping people in need and raising money.”

The Out-of-School-Time Program offers programming for kids before and after school hours and includes structured and unstructured activities, as well individual and team activities, while creating a “safe, happy and joyful” space, according to Assistant Site Coordinator Olivia Baronas, who said this was the group’s first service project of the year.

“All the ingredients came together at once,” Baronas said of the fundraiser, noting they were planning a field trip to the Amherst Survival Center, where staff there suggested this kind of partnership. “It became a more exciting activity and an act of service.”

Prior to their donation being weighed, Amherst Survival Center Volunteer and Outreach Coordinator Lisa Solowiej gave students a tour of the organization’s facility and explained how they help people, while also answering kids’ questions.

“It’s wonderful to have kids who are caring for the community,” she said afterward. “It’s a lovely way to give back.”

Out-of-School-Time Program Site Coordinator Cara Stone said her students really bought into the fundraising and food donations and she “cannot say how proud I am of this group.”

“They are just amazing kids and they worked really hard,” Stone said. “It meant a lot to them.”

In addition to the experience of giving back to the community, students also learned how to work together as a team pursuing a common goal.

“It was really fun because we made a lot of different crafts,” said fourth grader Elly Trenholm. “It feels really good to help people who don’t have much.”

Baronas said it was wonderful seeing so many of the kids become so engaged in the project.

“I really like seeing the kids who get so excited about this stuff and end up realizing they have a passion,” she said. “It was a very wholesome experience.”

For sixth grader Cali Predmore, it was a bit of eye-opening experience, as she found a love in working with the younger students.

“I really liked working with the younger kids … To see them happy, makes me happy,” Cali said. “It was life-changing … “I love helping people, we made $130, which is really good because it goes to charity.”

Chris Larabee can be reached at clarabee@recorder.com or 413-930-4081.