But instead of “two turtle doves and a partridge in a pear tree,” they’ll be getting something a bit more practical — 12 days worth of breakfast items.

The staff at MNW Elementary were able to give every student in preschool through sixth grade a “breakfast bag” to take home Monday, so that no child will have to go without breakfast when school is not in session.

The seed for the first-of-its-kind program at MNW was planted in early November when kindergarten teacher, Jill Gaul, saw a post on the Audi Crooks Foundation website offering to help families in need during the government shutdown, when many were without their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. Gaul said people in the Algona area could call a phone number posted on Crooks’ site and receive a bag of food, “no questions asked.”

Formerly from the Swea City area, Gaul also knew of a group of churches there that worked together to implement a breakfast box program, collecting food and then packaging it up to be given to students over Christmas break.

-Messenger photo by Britt Kudla
Lane Rees, 5, of Manson, chooses a gift bag filled with breakfast items for the long Christmas break. The Manson Northwest Webster school and community spent the past several weeks collecting donations so that no MNW elementary student would go without breakfast over Christmas break.

So she thought, “Why not here?”

“I know we have food insecure families,” Gaul said. “I know we have kids over break who might not have enough.”

At the same time, she said she knew the MNW community was one that could be counted on to help.

“I know we live in a generous community, and I knew we could do it here,” Gaul said.

But before commencing the project, she first talked it over with her husband, Doug Gaul, who just happens to be a teacher and FFA advisor at MNW High School. He took the idea to an FFA meeting, and the students were immediately on board with helping however needed.

-Messenger photo by Britt Kudla
AJ McDonald, 5, of Manson, shows his excitement over receiving one of the breakfast bags that were donated to every student at Manson Northwest Webster Elementary School Monday in Barnum. The project, the brainchild of kindergarten teacher Jill Gaul, was intended to ensure that no student would go without breakfast during Christmas break.

Soon after, posters went up around the community and Jill Gaul placed donation tubs at various

local businesses.

“I emptied the Swanson Hardware and Lucky 7 tubs three or four times each,” she said.

Other organizations and individuals, including St. Thomas Catholic Church and the Wa Tan Ye service club, gave generous cash donations which were used to buy any food items not provided. A Dog’s Tail grooming business donated Dollar General gift cards that families could use to finish rounding out their groceries.

With it being the first year, Gaul’s original goal was to collect enough breakfast food items to fill 50 bags for students in need. But last Wednesday after school, MNW staff bagged 343 bags — just 71 bags short of being able to give one to every child in 3-year-old preschool through sixth grade.

-Messenger photo by Britt Kudla
Avery Gaul, 6, of Manson, selects a breakfast gift bag Monday at Manson Northwest Webster Elementary School in Barnum.

Now with a much bigger goal in reach, a couple of people suggested that if each staff person donated “one box of something,” it would be enough to reach the entire elementary student body — whether in need or not. So Gaul put out one final email to staff seeking help.

And they came through in a big way.

By Friday afternoon, enough was collected so that each student could receive a breakfast bag.

“I’m overwhelmed,” Gaul said. “I knew it was going to be way bigger than I thought when I started running out of room in my little supply closet.”

Items collected included individual servings of applesauce, fruit cups, granola bars, single-serve cereal boxes or pouches, instant oatmeal packets, poptarts, mini muffins and more.

-Messenger photo by Britt Kudla
Gracie Taylor, 5, of Manson, takes one of the breakfast bags, which were donated to every student at Manson Northwest Webster Elementary School on Monday.

“It was nice to see such a huge variety of things,” she said.

Approximately 20 elementary school staff — along with Doug Gaul, a few of his FFA members, and a handful of fifth- and sixth-graders — helped fill the bags, said Jill Gaul.

The brown breakfast bags with a twine handle were decorated with a Christmas bow and handed out throughout the day Monday.

“Every bag has a beverage and 12 food items for every day of break that they don’t have school,” said Gaul.

In light of the positive response, she hopes the school will be able to continue the project in the future.

-Messenger photo by Britt Kudla
Lydia Poutre, 5, of Manson, chooses a breakfast bag to take home over Christmas break Monday at Manson Northwest Webster Elementary School in Barnum. Each breakfast bag contained a beverage and 12 breakfast items.

“I think at this time of year people are looking for ways to help. This puts food right in the kids’ hands, and I hope that we are able to continue,” Gaul said. “Does every kid need one of these bags? No, but what an awesome gift.”

-Messenger photo by Britt Kudla
Henry Workman, 5, of Manson, grabs one of the breakfast bags that were donated to all preschool through sixth-grade students Monday at Manson Northwest Webster Elementary School in Barnum.

-Messenger photo by Britt Kudla
Exel Kutz, 5, of Manson, and Abe Odom, 5, of Manson, look through their bag of breakfast goodies on Monday at Manson Northwest Webster Elementary School in Barnum.

-Messenger photo by Britt Kudla
Liam Vitra, 5, left, of Manson, and Owen Bass, 5, of Manson, grab breakfast gift bags that were donated Monday to students at Manson Northwest Webster Elementary School in Barnum.