Three dozen teenagers collect 7,000 pounds of food. Thee boys break into a house

Which groups gets all the attention?

If you guess the three teenagers who were probable bored out of their brains and decided to go get their kicks, you guessed well. On Friday, I was planning to go out to Alisal High and talk to the philanthropic teenagers, but something more urgent, more compelling was happening a few blocks away. Three teenagers -- probably their classmates -- were caught when they were allegedly trying to rob a house. The full force of Salinas finest was unleashed to catch the would-be bandits -- apparently they had no time to take anything. The Fourth State, always vigilant, was present in full force also to bring those news to the viewing audience.

The result: those teenagers that had worked so hard for so many weeks to do something positive for their community hardly got any attention. Instead, it was the three mischievous teenagers who got the top-of-the-hour treatment.

No wonder those kids at the Alisal get so frustrated. They try to do something positive and nobody pays attention. A few knuckleheads with no adult supervision get in trouble, and we're all focusing on them. It's a distortion of reality that very much upsets many Alisal residents.

So here's to Marian, Ramon, and all the students of Alisal High who went out door to door to collect 7,000 of food: stay on this path. What you're doing is the right thing. Sometimes, doing the right thing doesn't get the attention that you deserve, but in the long run, you'll be better off for it.

And thank you for your good work. We're a better community because of you.