Students at Abraham Lincoln School in Belleville on Tuesday donated a bunch of food to the city's Community Interfaith Food Pantry following a two-month-long service learning project.

Students were allowed on different days to wear a hat one day, wear sunglasses another or participate in other fun activities in exchange for bringing in food items to school. Most chose to donate without taking advantage of the incentives.

"In the classrooms we talked about and shared the purpose food pantries play in our communities," Principal Ed Langen said. "The icing on the cake was when the food pantry folks came in (Tuesday) and told the kids how much their gifts from the heart would help local families."

Langen said a pin drop could be heard, his students were so quiet as they learned how despertately their contributions were needed.

Southwestern Illinois College is offering weekend reservation services Saturday, Jan. 5 and 12 to help working people sign up for school without missing time at their jobs.

The college will be open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on those days to provide help with registration, counseling and financial aid. Also, students may make tuition and fee payments in the business office, purchase books and get their student ID cards.

The services will be offered at the Belleville Campus, 2500 Carlyle Ave.; the Red Bud Campus, 500 W. South Fourth St.; the Sam Wolf Granite City Campus, 4590 Maryville Road; and the East St. Louis Community College Center, 601 James R. Thompson Blvd.

Current and continuing students can also register online at estorm.swic.edu.

Spring 2013 classes begin Jan. 12.

Several members of the Southwestern Illinois Association of School Administrators have helped the Salvation Army raise money for its charitable programs by volunteering as bell ringers at St. Clair Square.

The volunteers included Grant District 110 Superintendent Matt Stines; Central District 104 of O'Fallon Superintendent John Bute; O'Fallon Township High School District 203 Superintendent Darcy Benway; Mascoutah District 19 Superintendent Craig Fiegel and Assistant Superintendent Kyle Freeman; High Mount School District 116 Superintendent Mark Halwachs; Shiloh District 85 Superintendent Jennifer Filyaw, Whiteside District 115 Superintendent Peggy Burke and O'Fallon District 90 Superindendent Todd Koehl.

According to the Salvation Army, a manned kettle generates about 75 percent more revenue than an empty kettle. By using volunteers, the Salvation Army saves the expense of paying an employee to be there, thus allowing more money for the charity work.

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