(ABC 6 News) — Students in Austin partnered with United Way to help the community on Thursday.

To kick off homecoming week, Austin students along with Hormel Foods held a food-packing event at the high school.

The Austin Packers proved true to their name, packing over 9000 pounds of food donated by Hormel.

“We have non-perishable items, so we have graham crackers, apple sauce, peanut-free nuts,” said Austin High School senior Jocelyn Voth.

The Matter Box snack packs that the students assembled will be distributed right back to the communities through the student-run food pantry and the United Way of Mower County.

In just an hour, more than 24,000 packages were assembled.

“It’s been a big shift for us this year to have a big service learning project, so it really came together for our student council, Hormel Foods, the Hometown Food Security project to really have a different experience for our kids that aligns well with what we’re trying to achieve as a school district, and you know, thinking about others and making an impact,” said Dr. Joey Page, the Superintendent of Austin Public Schools.

The company is inching closer to their goal of delivering 70 million meals worldwide by 2030.

“Hormel really takes seriously not just selling food but making a positive impact on the communities that we do business in as well as making a global impact on the greater world,” said Jason Baskin of Hormel Foods.

Also a fun treat for the students, some of them found golden tickets hidden away in their packs that will earn them some gift certificates to local businesses.