MOSES LAKE - Kindergarten students from Moses Lake Christian Academy, joined by their sixth grade partners, helped out the Moses Lake Food Bank Tuesday morning.

The students filled bags with potatoes and onions to be distributed to families that use the food bank. The kindergartners illustrated books to include with some of the Thanksgiving meals.

Kindergarten teacher Teresa Wakkuri hopes the kids get "an understanding of the community and the community's needs, an ability to work hard and do for others," she said.

It's the first year the school has helped out the food bank, but they hope to make it a tradition, said Wakkuri.

Parent Melissa White, whose daughter Nora White was among the kindergartners helping out, came up with the idea of the students volunteering at the food bank.

"I had come down a couple times with our church youth group and just thought kindergartners could do it," said White.

"It lets those kindergartners know that even though they're the youngest in the school ... that they, too, can make a difference," added Wakkuri.

The students' work makes it easier for families to pick up their food more efficiently, said Peny Archer, operations manager for the food bank.

"We usually don't have the manpower to pre-bag so we have the clients bag their own potatoes and onions," said Peny Archer, the food bank operations manager. "That's very time consuming for them and us ... It's been a real blessing to have the kids come in."