By Susan Shinn

Salisbury Post

CHINA GROVE — Students at China Grove Elementary School got into the holiday spirit Monday morning with the Cardinal Can Caravan.

The school’s more than 700 students delivered 1,700-plus cans to Main Street Mission, 11/2 blocks away.

Classes signed up in five-minute increments, forming a walking caravan from the school on Franklin Street to the mission on Main Street.

At first, only students who brought cans to school were going to get to participate in the walk, Principal Terry Whitesell said Monday morning.

But, he said, “Christmas is about being helpful, and getting the cans over there is just as important as bringing them in.”

He added, “It’s great weather to do this, and it’s a treat for the students to get to go over there.”

Students brought in a variety of canned goods from soups to vegetables and even donated bags of dried beans, according to second-grade teacher Ruth Reid, who suggested the project.

“Kids need to learn how to care for the community,” she said.

Whitesell added that some of the students would probably be recipients of the can caravan .

Main Street Mission serves families in the South Rowan area.

Contact Susan Shinn at 704-797-4289 or sshinn@salisburypost.com.