The students of Pella Middle School welcomed back Meals from the Heartland Friday to support those in need around the globe.

Lyndon Norton, Abby Heitbrink, and Trace Hopkins are 8th grade members of the Pella Middle School student council, and say the project this year started with a grant application to the Pella Community Foundation.

From there, those funds were matched by Meals from the Heartland, and in shifts, students from the building produced 20,000 meals. The project first originated at Pella Middle School during the 2016-17 academic year, when now-Pella High School senior Hannah Nedder submitted a grant to the Pella Community Foundation — a tradition that has continued since.

According to Social Studies Teacher Kristin Schulz, approximately 150,000 meals have been packaged among 7th and 8th grade students in Pella in those six years, with other buildings in the district periodically lending their support during that time as well.