FARMINGTON – A little dancing, some Grinch music and a whole lot of food brought SAD 9 students and their teachers out into a cool Thursday morning.

The children couldn’t wait to line up to pass bags of nonperishable food from the Mallett School through the parking lot across Middle Street to the Community Center.

There, volunteers waited to empty the bags and pack the food to be delivered to the Care and Share Food Closet.

Deron Hiscock, 6, a first-grader, put his jacket on at the school.

He was excited, he said.

“I like to go to the Farmington Community Center,” Hiscock said.

His teacher, Wanda Heath, said her students collected 94 items for the 15th annual Helping Hands Food Pass that some SAD 9 schools participate in.

The class at Mallett School that brought in the most items gets to keep a coveted plaque for a year.

Some children already held plastic bags of food in their hands as they walked out of the school. Others had already brought food in and the stacked bags could be seen through a window.

Farmington police Lt. Jack Peck directed traffic on Middle Street as they walked across the road. Some children put their hands up, one saying “I didn’t do it” as they proceeded by.

Maeve Hickey, 5, and in Mindy Kenney’s class, waited in line.

“We’re giving the people food because they need it,” she said.

Nearby, on the sidewalk of Middle Street, Amber Griffin asked her second-graders to move to an arms’ length from each other.

“Second grade, you’re looking good,” Griffin said, as she moved up and down the line.

Seven-year-old Grace Andrews waited with her peers.

“I think that it’s pretty cool that we can help people,” Andrews said. “We can see our whole school out here doing this. I think it’s going to be really helpful.”

Classmate Ethan Bachelder, also 7 and a second-grader, said, “I feel it’s good to help people. I know that if we get a flood, you lose all your stuff. …We help pack the food cupboard. It just makes them feel happier to have something to heat and they’re not going to starve to death.”

He had a flood once and lost his favorite toy, he said.

Nearby, students danced to the Mr. Grinch song that played on a radio as they waited for the pass to begin.

“I like helping because it feels good,” said Shadrach Higgins, 7.

Then the pass began and only chatter, laughter and the swish of the plastic bags could be heard as they hustled to keep up with the bags of food.