More than 12,000 pounds of chocolate rolled up at Hialeah’s M.A. Milam Elementary this morning to launch a healthy start to the school’s candy bar fundraising campaign.

The chocolate bar, made by World’s Finest Chocolate, is one for the record books. Weighing in at 12,190 pounds, it’s said to be enough candy to serve every fan in each of Miami’s major sports venues; but on Wednesday, it was used to send a simple message: think big, eat smart.

Tour Director Sara Lynn Brannon, who has traveled the country with the candy bar, told NBC Miami that World Finest Chocolate wants to help young people understand they can enjoy sweets, when balanced with a healthy lifestyle.

“Obviously, there’s a problem with childhood obesity, and they wanted to make sure their chocolate fundraising wasn’t part of the problem, they want to be part of the solution,” said Brannon.

Students said they had never seen so much chocolate in their life, and admit it was hard to think about moderation, while staring at that biggest chunk of chocolate they had ever seen.

"I thought it was really good, and I wanted to take a piece of it,” said fifth grader Lima Gimeno.

“I would like to take it for myself and bring it home,” added Edwin Gomez, also in fifth grade.
    
Each student also took home a jump rope to stress the message about health. When the sweets get hard to resist, Lima said she’ll keep in mind a few simple tips.

“You should eat a piece [of chocolate] and then save some for later, and, if you want, you can share it with a friend,” Gimeno said.

Brannon told NBC Miami the giant chocolate bar will eventually be eaten sometime in May. It’s preserved in a giant, refrigerated container and should last that long, she said, unless it somehow gets eaten.