Alaska Airlines has donated more than 40-tons of food to Seattle and Portland area food banks this year.

Don’t laugh — the food is unused airline food.

Why not? This stuff, according to the Portland Business Journal, consists of “unopened bags of dried fruit, salami, cheese spread, crackers, cookies and other items that were initially offered to first-class passengers.”

It won’t end poverty, or even hunger — but it’s a step. A step.

Yes, you won’t be finding any grizzlies at Juneau International at the moment – but this is not to say you shouldn’t keep a sharp eye out in the parking lot.

According to a report in the Kansas City Star, there was an “accidental discharge of anti-bear spray” at the airport that serves Alaska’s capital – and it shut down the airport for 90 minutes.

Now I’ve got some questions:

• 1. Why do people from Kansas care about this?
• 2. What’s in bear repellent – I mean, what could possibly repel them — the smell of Godzilla?
• 3. What was “anti-bear spray” doing at the airport?
• 4. Did the Governor have any comment on this?

If any of you out there can provide answers, our operators are standing by.

Let see…Alaska…killer polar bears…death-inducing cold…murderous mosquitoes…

Okay, Alaska Airlines doesn’t care what I think, but they do want to know what the state’s schoolchildren think, and in order to do so, they’ve started a “Paint the Plane” contest.

Here’s the deal: whoever comes up with a design that “best captures the theme of ‘The Spirit of Alaska’” will get to see that design painted on one of the carrier’s aircraft. And there’s a prize, too – the winner gets to go to…Disneyland!

Wait a sec — they had to go out of state for a decent prize?

Just kidding, I do like Alaska. It’s beautiful. Now go enter the contest – but please, the killer polar bear concept has been spoken for.