Students at Ingomar Middle School in McCandless were in a deck-the-halls-and-shake-the-walls festive mood.

As they gathered in the auditorium one day this week, they bounced with anticipation of an 11-day holiday break, the excitement of Christmas morning and time with loved ones.

But the assembly was in celebration of something else -- a gesture of charity and caring for the less-fortunate.

Penny by penny, nickel by nickel, the students raised $2,234.15 for the Post-Gazette's Goodfellows Fund, which provides Christmas toys and books to underprivileged children.

The student council had set out to raise $1,000 by placing coin jars in each homeroom for a week, and the administration promised a movie to the student body if it met the goal.

"You always take it a step above!" council President Taylor Brennan exclaimed as the students heard the final total and settled in for a viewing of "Elf."

Principal Steve Duchi confirmed as much, noting that the students collected 3,000 cans of food for North Hills Community Outreach at Thanksgiving -- also double the initial goal.

"They're really into the spirit of things," he said.

The idea to raise money for Goodfellows sprang from another act of generosity. Sixth-grader Emily Guckert was returning with her father, Thomas Guckert, from donating bicycles to a program operated by Pittsburgh police. "I asked him if there was any other way we could help kids," she recalled.

Emily pitched the idea to Assistant Principal Kristen Silbaugh and it was put to a vote of the student council. And so it began.

A bit slowly.

Two days before the drive was to end, the organizers estimated they had $650. "We didn't have much hope" of meeting the goal, said Lena Walton, council vice president.

They exhorted their fellow students with an announcement that they were short of the goal, and the 570 sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders responded, rolling up what is likely the biggest student donation in the 63-year history of Goodfellows.

"Reaching our goal really felt good," said Jade Song, publicity director for the student council. Others who led the effort were treasurer Ross Giglio, recording secretary Marlee Tyler and students Nicole Matos-Perez and Katie Glancy.

Ingomar was part of a communitywide effort that involved countless numbers of volunteers, social services agencies and generous readers of the Post-Gazette.

The money raised by Goodfellows goes to the Marine Corps Toys for Tots program, which annually distributes more than 100,000 toys to needy children, and to a partnership involving Post-Gazette Charities, Beginning with Books and the Salvation Army that provides books to more than 5,000 children up to 8 years old.

And the Pittsburgh chapter of Reading is Fundamental, the nation's largest nonprofit literacy organization, pitched in by donating 700 books that were distributed at the two-day Toys for Tots open house this month.

"It made us feel especially proud to be a part of that program," said Florri Ladov, executive director of RIF Pittsburgh, which distributed 60,000 books to 20,000 youngsters last year.

Goodfellows was officially launched by the Post-Gazette in 1947, but its roots go back to 1894.

That year, a man named Maj. R.W.A. Simmons happened upon a group of children in a Downtown alley. He asked what they were expecting from Santa that Christmas, and they told him they figured Santa would pass them up, as he had before.

He returned to his office, where he and co-worker George L. Bond, then 31 years old, began gathering used toys, fixing them and distributing them to needy children.

That was the start of what would become known as the Toy Mission.

In 1908, Mr. Bond refurbished a sled and gave it to a boy named Joey Sheer. It was the child's only gift that Christmas. The young man never forgot the act of kindness.

By 1935, the mission was serving 18,000 to 20,000 children a year. Churches, clubs, schools and families were invited to donate used and broken toys, and volunteers donated their spare time to fix, repaint and wrap them. Still overseeing it was Mr. Bond, by then in his 70s and white-haired.

Mr. Bond, of Crafton, died in 1939. In January 1941, the Optimist Club of Pittsburgh approached Mr. Bond's widow with its idea to create a memorial to her husband. The president of the Optimists at the time was none other than I.J. "Joey" Sheer, the boy with the sled who had worked his way to success.

On Nov. 19, 1947, the front page of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette carried an announcement about the creation of the Post-Gazette Good Fellows: "Even Christmas should have a 'new look' this season.

"Optimist Club members, sponsors of the Bond Memorial Toy Mission, are going to have the help of Post-Gazette Good Fellows in removing that look of disappointment from the faces of Allegheny County's underprivileged children Christmas Day."

Depots were set up to collect donated toys, and cash contributions were solicited to pay for toys for needy kids, with the promise that every contributor's name would be published in the newspaper -- a tradition that continues to this day.

Nov. 25, 1965, saw the debut of a cartoon drawn by Post-Gazette editorial cartoonist Cy Hungerford of a tearful child holding an empty "stocking," actually a tattered sock. It became the symbol of the Goodfellows Fund.

Mr. Sheer, who died in 1987 at age 90, continued as the driving force behind the Goodfellows campaign until he was 85, helping to buy toys and arranging to have volunteers distribute them.

In 1999, Goodfellows teamed with Toys for Tots, which buys and distributes the gifts made possible by readers' donations.

Some 130 nonprofit agencies and scores of volunteers from schools, churches and businesses were part of this year's campaign.

With many feeling the pressure of a down economy, Post-Gazette readers took it a step above, as Taylor Brennan would say, sustaining Goodfellows with the generosity and caring that has long been a Pittsburgh tradition -- one that was carried forward in a proud way by the students of Ingomar Middle School and so many others.

Thank you to all, and Merry Christmas!

Today's total: $18,486.65

Grand total: $172,146.41

The Students of Ingomar Middle School $2,234.15

Post-Gazette Editorial Employees $2,070

In memory of Ian Cohen $500

Anonymous $500

From the Staff of PDR of Allegheny County $500

Anonymous $500

In memory of Frances DiCarlo $500

In memory of Roy C. Haas $300

Andy Russell $250

Mary Lou and Jack Harper $250

Anonymous $250

Tom "You're Covered" Stein $200

William, Sheila, Sara, Ally Eismont $200

Anonymous $200

Paula McEndoo $200

Rachel Check $200

In loving memory of Staff Sgt. Jason Estvanik $200

John and Gertrude Echement $200

Lawrence A. Basinski $200

Ignacio and Blanca Grossmann $150

Tim, Carrie and Patrick Stanny $150

John and Jodi Hyrb $150

Anonymous $150

Katie V $125

Center for Traumatic Stress in Children and Adolescents $110

Anonymous $104

C. Pittman $100

Bob and Deb Pekney $100

In memory of Donald and Steven Derrick by Phil Ponikvar $100

Anonymous $100

Anonymous $100

Fay and Tom Wright $100

In memory of Bill Weiler $100

Bernard O'Connor $100

Bob and Laurie Henninger $100

Bill Lackner $100

Jody Williams $100

Karen and Ned Vandervern $100

In memory of Agnes A. Rheam $100

Anonymous $100

Michael and Rebecca Courtad $100

Henry and Nancy Armstrong $100

Anonymous $100

Thomas M. Colella $100

Dave and Vella Ruth Alberth $100

Anonymous $100

Thomas Moore $100

In memory of Pap -- Cam, Shawn and Ryan $100

The Self family $100

Anonymous $100

In honor of Michael Sorci $100

C. Matous $100

R. Barron $100

In memory of Dan Downs $100

In memory of Mr. and Mrs. August Bondi $100

In memory of John Fey $100

Vito Fiore $100

The Mink family $100

In memory of Isadore "Izzy" and Betty Lampenfeld $100

In memory of Rosie Gasperine and Joanne B. White $100

Anonymous $100

Anonymous $100

Anonymous $100

In memory of Regis A. Weimerskirch $100

Anonymous $100

In honor of Shannon, Kelsey, Emily and Alien Knox and Kaley, Tanner, Danielle, Lauren and Luke Zahren $90

In memory of Kenneth Doak (from Mary-Isabel Doak) $88

Gurrentz International employees $75

Kathleen Bissonette $75

Jana and Bill Lyons $75

The Kuligowskis $75

In memory of my dad, who will be missed at Christmas and always, Michael Roehrig $75

To honor Ben, Dan and Kara Getkin $75

Karen S. Peterson $50

Suzanne Maury $50

Anonymous $50

Steve Douds $50

Ruth Delach $50

St. Bonaventure Preschool $50

In honor of Darius Masalehdan $50

Anonymous $50

Anonymous $50

Todd and Michele Soergel $50

In memory of Walter and Doris Czekaj $50

In memory of Mrs. Pearl Barrows of Newtown, Pa. $50

Anonymous $50

Greg Waldo $50

Vojteks $50

Anonymous $50

Anonymous $50

Elizabeth Weber $50

Sandra Williamson $50

Ray Wojszynski $50

Anonymous $50

David and Lynda Albright $50

Bob Bob and Shirley Hollack $50

In memory of Frank and Ruby $50

Mr. and Mrs. William R. Hughes Jr. $50

Mr. and Mrs. Charles J. Byrnes $50

Gibbons $40

The Kohans $40

Jurkovecs $40

Rothmeyer family in memory of Pamela Rothmeyer $40

McClelland family $40

Anita Newell $35

James Yard $35

Ben and Louise Finnstrom $30

Dave and Deb Cohen $30

J.M. Stauffer $30

Heather, Dan and LCPL Ryan Baux $30

Christine Peters $30

In honor of Sue Nemeth $30

Anthony and Karen Cardone $25

Michael Ranallo $25

In memory of Lucy G. Einloth $25

Renee Stauffer and Frank Schwartz $25

Devenyi family $25

Pam Riffner $25

In memory of Thomas L. Turner $25

The Vioral family $25

Barbara and Calvin George $25

Ronald Relosky $25

Sandra Chastek $25

Sarah Cimino $25

In memory of John J. Filipcic $25

In honor of Anderson Miller $25

The Davidsons $25

Holly Grabowski $25

David and Ellie Tourney $25

The Ream family $25

Thomson family $25

Eric Brown $25

Mark G. and Janis Wilson $25

Anonymous $25

Lois Hershman $25

Mark and Ann South $25

Anonymous $25

Mark and Lorraine DeFabio $25

Ellen Bonanno $25

Anonymous $25

Alison Wilson $25

Stephen Antkiewicz $25

In memory of Ronald Makar $20

Anonymous $20

In honor of Toni "Nanie" Runsa $20

Dr. Walter Burgher, Esq. $20

Scott Dellett $20

Dennis Cassidy $20

Marilyn Couch $20

Tamara Maximovich $20

D. Swiss $20

B.W. Fredette $20

In memory of Patrica DeMatty-Lepore $20

Joanne Cassano $20

Carley and Chase Nicomatti $20

Lois S. Libby $20

Anonymous $20

Sue Pish $20

William N. Poellot Jr. $20

Anonymous $20

In memory of our daughter, Kim Montesano $20

Fran Caplan $20

Frances and Jordan Morgan $20

Anonymous $20

James and Nancy Florence $20

In memory of Ryan Patrick Stokes from Jeffrey Stokes family $20

Carole Reed $20

JoAnn Bergman $20

Dorothy Salera $20

In memory of "Pap" Frank J. Suchan $20

The McCaffrey family $20

In memory of Dorothy Corbett $20

In memory of Liz Evans and Rhenny $20

In memory of Beatrice Carpe $20

Anonymous $20

Ruth Heath $20

In memory of Mary T. Moorhead $20

Paul Menner $20

Elaine and Adam Becker $20

In memory of Janice Kovanis-Headrick $15

Stephen Newman $15

Anonymous $15

Liam, Isabelle, Fiona Mary (Catherine Julian) $15

Luke Chrissis $15

Gregory M. Greenleaf $12.50

Cynthia A. Karaffa $10

Marcia Scott $10

Irene Mead $10

Mickey and Eileen Cane $10

L. Fife $10

Robert L. Cramer $10

Isabella Olivia Sophia $10

Mike and Debbie Wallace $10

Snow Geyer $10

Anonymous $10

Judy Smalley $10

Tenanche Golden $10

Frank W. Nesz $10

Anonymous $10

K. Moore $10

Rich Spires $10

L. Mitsch $10

Tennessee "Joe Etheridge" $10

Anonymous $10

Anonymous $10

In honor of Sara Ozimek $10

In honor of John R. Burda $10

Kris and Megan Grzejka $7

Brooke Bailey $5

Denny Fedigan $3

May Lois Albanesi $3