Did you know that science shows that it’s even more beneficial to us to give presents rather than to receive presents? It’s definitely some food for thought to keep in mind, especially around the holidays.

But what happens when you want to give…but aren’t able to financially?

Case in point: One student in Washington, DC who really wanted to give her teacher, Rachel Uretsky-Pratt, a present to thank her for helping her learn.

Even though the student comes from a low-income family, she still felt she could give her something somehow. She just had to get creative.

Uretsky-Pratt received all kinds of gifts from her students on the day before their holiday winter break, but says that the one this student gave her stood out the most.

And the gift? Was a small bag of Lucky Charms marshmallows.

“This kiddo wanted to get me something so badly, but had nothing to give,” she says. “So rather than give me nothing, this student opened up her free breakfast cereal this morning, took the packaging of her spork, straw, and napkin, and finally took the time to take every marshmallow out of her cereal to put in a bag—for me.”

The teacher posted her thoughts on Facebook, and it went viral, getting shared almost 500,000 times. People from all over were commenting on it saying that the story brought tears to their eyes.

“Be grateful for what you have, and what others give you,” Uretsky-Pratt urged in her post. “It all truly comes from the deepest parts of their hearts.”

If there ever was a story that showed the true meaning of the holidays, this is it! We think it’s so sweet that this child waned to show her teacher how much she appreciated her, even if she didn’t have any money to do so. It just goes to show you don’t need the big bucks to put a smile on someone’s face.

Have you ever gotten a present like this before? What do you think of this story?