The Future Farmers of America at Knoxville High School are preparing once again for Meals from the Heartland, and this time around they hope to pack even more meals for shipment to persons in need.

Last year was the first food packing event at Knoxville High School, and it drew students from all levels of the school district as well as members of the community looking to help out.

Hannah Schakel from the FFA tells KNIA/KRLS News it was popular enough last year that they are raising the goal and hopefully the number of people involved.

“We are hoping to get 60,000 meals; last year, we had around a little over 50,000 and we learned that the students loved it, to make a competition,” says Schakel. “And they were always trying to see which group could get the fastest, so we wanted to bump up the number of packages we made just to make it a little more fun.”

Food such as rice and corn are packed into each box; they are dry and preservable, so they can be easily shipped to their destinations.

The FFA is now seeking sponsors to help fund this year’s event; any person or organization willing to help out should contact Tiffany Johnston at Knoxville High School.