Extending a helping hand, the youngest students of Saltus Grammar School, have spread a little love around for Valentine's Day. Teachers used a grub day with a Valentine's theme as an opportunity to encourage their students to offer a tangible expression of their love for their neighbours in need. Children in all three year levels – 12 classes in total – brought tins of food and dry goods like cereal and pasta to school to be passed on to Fern Wade's Hands of Love Ministry.

Noah Alexander Simons, of 1E explained, "We all bringed a can to give it to some more people who don't have any food. I brought soup."

Classmate Connor O'Keefe elaborated, "Cans with food in them to bring them to people who don't have very much food."

Mrs. Wade was grateful for every single can: "Our cupboard is bare, and 15 families have come to me so far since last month." She explained that her programme didn't get Christmas donations in the same quantity as they have had in the past, and with the economic downturn, she expects the slow period following Christmas to be worse and more families to turn to her for help.

This isn't the first time the Saltus Cavendish students have shared their good fortune. In fact, students have been making donations to the charity several times a year for over ten years. Hallowe'en, Christmas and Easter are often marked at the school with a donation to Hands of Love.

While some of the tiniest children are not entirely aware of the significance of their gifts, the older children realise the cans are for "people who don't have any money. When people don't have no money, they can't buy any food," as second-year student Christian Truran put it.

"They (the cans) are going to be given to people who don't have any. They might be hungry," Maya Malpas added.

Once Mrs. Wade has ascertained the extent of a family's need – "You've got to be honest with me," she insists of her clients – a boxed selection of canned and dried goods is made up to be collected, or sometimes they're delivered.

At the moment, because of the cooler weather, Mrs. Wade is particularly keen to receive blankets that she can distribute. And no doubt the Saltus students will be a little warmer for the love they shared.