The Christmas spirit will shine merry and bright for a group of local children this weekend, thanks to the efforts of IBEW Local 2321 and a community driven group of students from Lowell Catholic High School.

As part of IBEW’s annual drive, the group purchased and delivered more than $3,500 worth of toys to the House of Hope on Fletcher Street this morning.

The Lowell Catholic Hockey and Cheerleading teams got into the spirit, spending their morning helping gather and drop off the seven truckloads of gifts.

The holiday cheer then spread into the downtown, as the high schoolers were treated to lunch at a local restaurant by the labor group.

There they were joined by 16th Middlesex State Representative Rodney Elliott and former State Senator Steve Panagiotakos.

Elliott spoke to each of the students about the importance of giving back and thanked them for doing their part to give back to the community and those less fortunate.

The brothers and sisters of IBEW Local 2321 have long been known for their charitable efforts locally and throughout the entire North Shore, generously donating well over $10,000 annually to various community organizations.