NEBRASKA CITY – A Nebraska City couple brought candy and Valentine’s Day cards to the middle school Tuesday after an outpouring of craftsmanship and sweetness from the community.

Heather Popish said the idea of delivering hand-written Valentine’s messages and candy to every middle school student popped into her head the afternoon before the big day.

Popish: “I thought, middle school kids,  they don’t get a party anymore. Maybe they don’t get any Valentine’s at home, so I thought wouldn’t it be awesome if I could ask my community to help me.”

Heather and her husband Robert have a sixth grader who lamented the first year where he didn’t give out Valentine’s to classmates.

Heather’s post on Facebook about her idea received an exuberant reaction. 340 Valentine’s cards were made with handwritten messages and attached to boxes of candy.

 

"You are awesome," "You are a ray of sunshine," "You can do hard things.We believe in you. Don't give up," were among the messages.

Popish: “We wanted the kids to know that their community sees them, hears them, supports them, loves them. They are  going through a hard time in middle school. You know, it’s not easy learning who you are, so we just wanted to show we have some love for them.”

Principal Ethan Pellatz said the Valentine’s fit in perfectly with the school’s emphasis during Random Acts of Kindness Week Feb. 14 to 20.