Students top last year’s volume

Sat., Nov. 25, 2006

The Spokesman-Review

Middle school students from around Spokane Valley almost doubled last year’s amount of donated food when they participated in the annual Fill The Bus food drive last week.

Students were able to collect 17,067 pounds of food and $822 in cash this year, beating last year’s food total of 10,030 pounds, said Ken Briggs, CEO of the Spokane Valley Community Center and Food Bank.

Students from five middle schools competed and tried to fill school buses with bags of food outside of area supermarkets.

Students at Horizon Middle School took the lead with 5,570 pounds food and 32 turkeys.

North Pines Middle School students brought in 3,614 pounds of food, $22 in cash and 16 turkeys.

Greenacres Middle School raised 3,253 pounds of food, three turkeys and $178 in cash.

Bowdish Middle School got 1,705 pounds of food, $367 in cash and 29 turkeys.

Students at Evergreen Middle School raised 1,705 pounds of food, $255 in cash donations and 15 turkeys.

Central Valley and University High School Key Club members donated 49 hours of time to the project, and the Spokane Valley Kiwanis donated 24 hours of work.

The food will be used to feed families during the holiday season, Briggs said.

Christmas tree lighting

Festival of Lights Thursday

The voices of children singing and the lighting of the Spokane Valley Christmas tree will usher in the holiday season next week.

In its fourth year, the Festival of Lights will be at 5:30 p.m. Thursday at the University City Mall.

A performance by the Sunrise Elementary Solar Energy Choir is among scheduled festivities at the free event.

It’s rumored that Santa Claus may make an appearance as well.

The tradition of lighting the 30-foot tree was started by Spokane Valley Councilman Mike DeVleming, who handed it off to the Rotary Club this year.

City office

Permit center to move

The office where contractors and residents can apply for all number of construction permits or go to view city records associated with building is moving across the parking lot.

On Monday, Spokane Valley’s permit center will reopen in the strip mall just to the west of its former location in the office building housing City Hall at 11707 E. Sprague Ave.

The city began leasing the space at 11705 E. Sprague Ave., Suite B3, for records storage. Next week, the 3,000-square-foot space also will house the permitting center, code enforcement and building inspection services.

An open house is scheduled from 3 to 6 p.m. Tuesday with a ribbon cutting at 5 p.m.

Regular hours at the permit center are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

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