EAST LYME, Conn. -- Forty-four students and several teachers from East Lyme Middle School hopped aboard a donated bus and took a field trip to brighten the holidays for Connecticut residents of all kinds.

The sixth-graders, aboard a Laidlaw bus, brought gifts on what their teachers called a sleigh ride of giving.

The teachers said the point of the event was to get the students to do something for others and show them what the agencies in the area do.

The students said they either donated the gifts or money to purchase the gifts.

“It’s a good opportunity for us, and you can save some lives this way, and you help a lot of people,” student Kevin Li said.

The students first stopped at the Connecticut Humane Society in Oakdale, then headed to the Women's Center of Southeast Connecticut in New London.

At the center, the director explained to the students what it does and how important it is.

The next stop was the Shoreline Soup Kitchen, and the journey ended at the Bayview Health Care Center in Waterford.

The teachers said they hope this event will become an annual tradition.