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LITTLETON, Colorado ( KCNC ) -- As the Dakota Ridge Eagles prepare for their Football Friday matchup against Pueblo West, students at the school are earning attention for something far beyond the field.

During the recent federal government shutdown, Dakota Ridge High School was selected as one of several Jeffco Public Schools to operate as a temporary community food bank. The shutdown, the longest in U.S. history, left many families across Colorado struggling with delayed paychecks and reduced access to federal nutrition programs.

When five pallets of donated food arrived from a districtwide drive at Jeffco Stadium, more than 60 students from the school's leadership team stepped in to help. The group unloaded, sorted, and organized everything from

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