“We cannot do great things on this Earth, only small things with great love.”

When Mother Teresa offered this simple advice, she spoke powerful words – words that reverberate beyond the span of her life and around the world to places like Pike County. Here, it seems, thousands of people understand how to do small things with great love.

Consider, for a moment, the acts of kindness offered by area high school students.

At Pike County High School, the FBLA spearheaded a canned food drive that filled the pantry of the Salvation Army.

At Charles Henderson High School, students and teachers collected more than 3,000 canned goods – a can or two at a time – for the Department of Human Resources and more than $800 to help the needy at Christmas.

And at Pike Liberal Arts School, students adopted two families through DHR and provided more than 40 gallons of poptops – one drink at a time – for the Ronald McDonald House.

Small gifts, small actions. But together, they weave a story of great love and generosity.

And what better gift than that any time of the year?