COEUR d'ALENE - Sunlight bounced off pastel-green shells as Randy Tetzner opened the egg carton. His Araucana chickens had produced a few dozen eggs just in time for the Lakes Magnet Middle School food drive.

"They're the ones that are called the 'Easter egg chicken,' and they lay green eggs," the Lakes dad said with a smile. "So I found kids in the line and I asked them if they've ever read 'Green Eggs and Ham.' Then boom, I popped open the green eggs for them to see and they were like, 'Woah!' I told them that the inside was just like a regular egg. Some people like Araucanas, they really like the taste."

Tetzner, of Coeur d'Alene, was happy to provide his South American chickens' eggs for some of the people who came to the food drive Wednesday morning. More than 700 people received food assistance from the Second Harvest mobile food bank, which was stationed in the southeast parking lot.

"People are in need right now. It's hard to make ends meet," said Jeremy Balbin of Coeur d'Alene. "Trying to make ends meet is rough because of everything going up, especially food. It's insane. Anything that helps get you by is good."

This is the seventh food drive Lakes has hosted. Last year's event helped 900 individuals.

"That's a lot of families," Balbin said, while waiting in line with his brother and niece. "And there's probably even more families that couldn't make it here today. You have to think, there's even more that probably need help.

"I think everything is overpriced for the area that we have, for the amount of money that we make," he continued. "The wage of living is too low compared with the wages of everything else. My wife actually works, and we're still hurting."

Nearly 50 eighth-graders volunteered to bag, tag, box and walk food to vehicles and hold up signs, letting drivers on 15th Street know about the event. Taylor Booker, 14; and Brianna Ballard, 13, both really enjoyed helping out by bagging onions and potatoes.

"It's just the feeling of being able to help other people," Brianna said.

"I think it's teaching us to help people more and be there in the community," Taylor said.

Connor Brooks, 14, is a Boy Scout who is familiar with serving his community. He was a sign-holder for part of the two-hour event, and said kids who want to be involved in something like the food drive should just do it.

"I really like it," he said. "I really like helping people and I think it's a great experience, and it's fun to hang out with classmates and do good."

Stacey Doerr, eighth-grade language arts teacher and event coordinator, said the kids were excited, efficient and eager to help.

"No one's goofing around. They don't have downtime," she said.

She said Lakes has a fairly high volume of students who receive free or reduced-cost lunches, so an event like this is an opportunity for them to give back. Plus, interaction with the public reinforces manners.

"I'm super proud, because sometimes teenagers get a bad rap," she said. "Adults that are here see how hardworking they are, and they always make me proud."

Doerr said the mobile food bank distributed an estimated 7,500 pounds of food. Items included produce, 3-pound beef roasts, breads, cereals and other groceries.

Dakotah Andrews and Brooke Doerr, both 14, carried boxes of food to an elderly couple's car.

"I feel good helping other people," Brooke said.

"The weather might be hot, but still, it's worth it," Dakotah said. "It feels really good."

Dakotah and Brooke both serve in the student council at Lakes. They participate in community projects and help peers who are targets of bullying. They both noticed how the line for the mobile food bank was established and lengthening, even before the bank opened.

"It kind of makes me a little bummed out and sad because there's all these people in our community who need more food than they're getting," Dakotah said. "I don't understand why our government can't supply it themselves."

"It makes me wonder what else we can do to help those people that are in need," Brooke added. "It really gets me pumped up to help people and do more than is needed."

Avista provided a booth where people could obtain free, energy-efficient items such as light bulbs and faucet aerators. The food bank was open to all and no documentation was needed. It was made possible by the Lakes Parent Teacher Student Association, a grant from the Panhandle Kiwanis Club and Second Harvest.