For students in Tomie Lintner’s food and nutrition class, it was an opportunity for community service and maybe a snitched cookie or two for good measure.

For the residents at Jo-Lin Health Center, it was a welcome visit that turned an ordinary Thursday into a brighter day.

Approximately 90 Ironton High School students delivered homemade cookies and then sang Christmas Carols to the nursing home residents. The students spent the earlier part of the week making all those cookies — some 700, Lintner said. Lintner’s classes have been doing this for the last half a dozen years.

Besides the opportunity to get out of class and get into the holiday spirit, the visit was also a chance to see a part of life with which some of the students may not have any experience.

“I hope they find nursing homes are not as bad as they might have thought,” Lintner said.

Senior Edi Taylor has been to Jo-Lin before.

“I think this is going to be really nice,” she said.

Fellow senior Jessica Weaver said she hopes the Jo-Lin residents enjoy the visit and they realize they are not forgotten, especially at the holidays.

“I hope they know people still care about them,” she said.