LHS’s ROTC program, well-known for the myriad of community-service activities the students perform throughout the year, recently concluded two important efforts, both of which focused on the values of giving back to the community during the holiday season.

The cadets assisted Toys for Local Children, a nonprofit organization that provides toys for children in need throughout Middlesex, Essex and Suffolk counties. Last year, Toys for Local Children provided toys for almost 11,000 children throughout the community.

On a recent Saturday, the cadets sorted and catalogued toys for the holiday and assisted organization staff in preparing orders for delivery to children who otherwise would have no toys for the holiday.

The students saved the organization hundreds of hours of work in preparation for Christmas.

The cadets also recently concluded its 2014 holiday food drive to support the Merrimack Valley Food Bank. The LHS cadets were able to collect, sort and package almost 4,400 food items weighing more than 3,683 pounds. Over the last four years, the LHS ROTC unit has collected and donated 15,373 pounds of food for those in need throughout the Merrimack Valley.