Eat fresh, local foods: It's a simple concept that not only improves physical health, but also contributes to community health. And yet, until six years ago, Dillingham children sat down to school lunches made from fish farmed elsewhere, heavily processed, and then shipped to Southwest Alaska at high freight costs. A local lunch lady knew there had to be a better way.
Thanks to the efforts of school chefs, dozens of regional fishermen, and Peter Pan Seafoods, wild-caught sockeye salmon is now a staple in schools. Last week, Peter Pan loaded a truck with more than 6,000 pounds of fillets bound for school lunches. The abundance of fresh fish is delivered free of charge to the school district courtesy of the Fish for Kids program, a salmon donation program implemented by Peter Pan, a Seattle-based company that has run a processor in Dillingham for more than a century.
Bristol Bay is one of the most salmon-rich regions in the world, and seafood is the lifeblood of the community. But prior to 2007, Southwest Alaska schools served highly processed and expensive fish nuggets to children. Patty Luckhurst, who was then the head cook for Dillingham School District, wondered why schools couldn't serve fish that was caught in their own community.
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