Panorama School District students got a jump-start on the Thanksgiving meal service Wednesday. However, they weren’t serving themselves, they were serving others. Students in grades 6-12 participated in helping to fill 50,000 bags of food for those in need around the community, country, and world.

The bags contained soy, rice, and other dry food products. The project was made possible by the generosity of several local businesses and organizations. The entities involved contributed $5,000.

School Community Liaison and project organizer Angie Clouser received plenty of positive feedback from her students regarding the packaging. She especially noted a sixth grader’s astute observation. “I had a sixth grade girl come to my office and she was really excited. Her exact quote to me was, ‘We’re going to make food that could go all the way to Africa.’ I thought how cool was it that a twelve-year-old understands the concept behind this of not just feeding here but feeding others too.”

Some of the meals will stay at the food pantry at Panorama as part of Meals From the Heartland’s “Leave Behind” program. The rest of the meals will be distributed around the country and the world, including disaster relief sites.