What a great lesson for our children - that while they may not able to change the world, they can still make a difference in their own small way.
And by the looks of the smiles on those faces, helping felt pretty good.
Rotorua Salvation Army commanding officer Major Bill Millar agreed, saying the excitement of the children was a highlight of the day.
"It is wonderful they are being taught it is okay to be generous and to give to others," he told us.
Local businesses also got behind the cause, staff forming human chains to load the bus with boxloads of cans.
By the end of the day, the bus was chocker - the final tally of cans should be known today. It was a heart-warming day, a fantastic display of generosity and our thanks go out to all who contributed. But now is not the time to rest on our laurels.
There are still two weeks of the Christmas appeal left and more is needed to eclipse last year's $44,000 effort. On almost a daily basis we are hearing about clubs, schools and businesses getting behind the appeal and we look forward to sharing their efforts with you over the next fortnight.
If you haven't gathered your cans together, it's not too late.
-Details on how to donate, page 3.