Kaya Bromiley had seen the photos from previous years, heard all the hype about the project, but she didn’t truly realize the scope until she walked into the Southern Regional Middle School media center on Dec. 16.

“I was never involved in this until today, and this is awesome,” said the sophomore and vice president of the high school’s Family, Career and Community Leaders of America chapter. “When I first got here, I wasn’t expecting to see so many bags.