Social work students from MSU Meridian put their classroom work to practical use Monday.

Students helped prepare and serve breakfast and lunch at L.O.V.E.'s Kitchen, as part of their lecture series on fighting hunger. L.O.V.E.'s Kitchen feeds the hungry and homeless.

Students say first-hand experience will help them help others after graduation.

"This helps a lot in helping with us studying social work because it applies everything that we've been practicing for," said Natisha Isaac, a student in MSU Meridian's social work program. "And you know, we learn in policy classes about malnutrition, how we can help with the elderly and the children. This applies with everybody."

"In class, we talk about poverty. We talk about malnutrition. We talk about the food stamp program, the WIC program and the school lunch program, and how all those things come into play with poverty," said Letha Dunn, also a student in the social work program at MSU. "So we're just here to support L.O.V.E.'s Kitchen as a group, as a class, and to let the community know that we're in support of this program."

March is also Social Work Month. Dunn and Isaac encouraged others who can to volunteer at L.O.V.E.'s Kitchen.