Valley Food Fight

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My first Valley story... A chance to get my feet wet in the communities I will be spending the majority of my time, and eventually becoming part of when I move to Wasilla later this month.

Su Valley High School in the town of Talkeetna burned to the ground in June. Until the District can build a new school, students and teachers are in a temporary facility. Several Student Council members complained to the District that the school's cafeteria wasn't up to par... but instead of just complaining about it, the students decided to take action and BOYCOTT school lunch.

My photographer for the day Mike and I raced up to Talkeetna (it's a long drive from Anchorage... 2+ hours) to catch the kids at lunchtime. Instead of eating cafeteria food, the Student Council organized potluck lunches for the classroom. Parents cooked big pots of soup, local bakeries or restaurants donated bread or drinks. It was really neat! But Mike and I were standing in the cafeteria and I told the lunch lady, "I've got to try this for myself." The meal's come pre-made in cartons. It looked like & tasted like hamburger helper. Ended up eating a few bites of it and turned to the students and said, "You just wait until you're in college! You'd gladly eat something like this." Haha.

I do have to applaud the students for standing up for a cause. Nice to see that. And the boycott seemed to grab the attention of the District who did come meet with the students that day.