PROFILES OF EXCELLENCE

Students at Profiles of Excellence raised $500 in about three hours Thursday by offering cookies and hot chocolate to passers-by who saw their handcrafted signs and chose to leave a donation in the children’s cowboy boot, said Rania Carlson, director of the Palmer child care center’s school-age program. The kids donated that money Friday to Palmer Food Bank, which distributes food to about 350 to 400 families a month and had an $18,000 grocery bill during last year’s holiday season, according to Henry Guinotte, who operates the facility. The food bank is open 1 to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, and can be contacted at 746-3565. Pictured, Carlson, aide Kaylen Bowman, Tobias Petty, Skylar Marino, Cora Kolleda, Connor Owens, Jaron Ketterman, Jenna Sutton, Colyn Halbert and Tucker Christensen. (TRACY KALYTIAK/For the Frontiersman)