Contributed photoFifth-graders at Dalton's Brookwood School created organic soup mixes for local families in need for Thanksgiving.

DALTON, Ga. — It started as a STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) project for fifth-graders at Dalton’s Brookwood School. It evolved into an effort to help fight hunger locally.

Under the leadership of eco-research lab leader Carmen Flammini and with a grant from the Dalton Education Foundation, the students created an organic five-bean soup recipe. Using their math skills, they placed the soup into 50 vacuum-sealed bags, each with enough soup to feed a family of four. They also designed packages for the bags in art class. The students “wanted to feed the belly and also the soul” so each soup package included a note of encouragement, and the packages were donated to local families for Thanksgiving.

Some of the notes read “Dear Friend, I hope you liked the Thanksgiving Soup. I worked hard to make it. I hope it is delicious and have a Happy Thanksgiving” and “I hope that you love the food that we packaged. My heart was filled with joy knowing this was for a good cause. I hope you have a good Thanksgiving and an amazing day.”

The soup was distributed by the Dalton Organization of Churches United for People (DOC-UP). DOC-UP Executive Director Heather Donahue said the families receiving the soup have been very excited by the gifts.

“It was just a lovely thing for all these students to do,” she said.

The students plan to raise funds to expand their research program and continue to help local residents.