First-graders in Bonnie Prenkert’s Eastside Connections School class got a big surprise Tuesday when two companies donated approximately 460,000 pop tabs, helping the class reach its goal of collecting one million pop tabs.

Prenkert said the pop tabs are worth about $475, which would be donated to the Ronald McDonald House Charities room at Memorial Children’s Hospital in South Bend. The charity gives families a place to stay free of charge while their children are recovering in the hospital.

The class collected 540,000 pop tabs over the course of several months with the help of other students, friends and family

DowagiaciT3, of Dowagiac, and Benton Metal Recycling, of Benton Harbor, donated enough pop tabs to get the class to the one million mark.

Brian Antisdel, of DowagiaciT3; Spencer Calley, of Benton Metal Recycling; and Jacob Atherton, of Benton Metal Recycling; dropped off the pop tabs Tuesday morning at Niles New Tech, where Prenkert’s learners were practicing for a program about giving that will be presented from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at Eastside Connections School.

The community is invited to attend the program, which will last approximately one hour with a social hour afterward.