A group of elementary students are giving back this holiday season.

The students are animal lovers, and they want to help cheer up dogs and cats stuck in animal shelters. 

RELATED: San Benito second grader helping families in need this holiday season 

Last year, third-grader Victor Manuel Gonzalez helped collect over 500 food items for the San Benito Food Pantry. This year, he is giving back and this time hoping to help four-legged friends. 

"Because it's winter, and all the dogs need food and a blanket to stay warm for the winter," Gonzalez said. 

Gonzalez is hosting the Paws Food Dive in the hopes that the animals at local shelters will feel the same love and support that his four rescue dogs get at home. 

He is not alone in this effort, he has recruited 10 of his friends and cousins to help.

"We have to help them because they're most likely on the streets roaming around," fourth-grader Gabriel Galicki said.

Everything the group collects will be donated to the Humane Society of Harlingen and Donja's Dogs in Brownsville.

"We fostered over 600 animals this year, so that's a lot of food we go through," Donja's Dogs Treasurer Wendy Conger said. 

Conger said the support is needed, especially with the increase in strays coming into the shelter.

"This year just the people calling, everybody is finding dumped animals everywhere," Conger said. "It's too much to ignore."

Donations of food and blankets can be dropped off at the Humane Society of Harlingen and Donja's Dogs in Brownsville.

Monetary donations can be made via cashapp at $vman73m.

For more information, call 956-202-5121 or email chelles2happy@yahoo.com.