As I take my daily trip over to the Snack Shack, I see Pam King, more commonly referred to as “Pam the Cookie Lady,” handing students their post-lunch snacks, ranging from cookies to ice cream. She hands me my brownie and a bag of chips every day at the beginning of lunch so I can miss the rush at the end. During this time, I also get the chance to have a conversation with her, and as I’ve been getting to know her more and more over the past three years I have come to learn how important building a relationship with King is to me. I’m so glad that I’ve been able to get to know King on a more personal level over the past three years. She remembers everything that we talk about, and we pick up where we left off.

There are times that I don’t even want anything from the Snack Shack, yet I go anyway to have a nice conversation with her. Topics range from how school is going to what’s going on in my life. She will always lift my mood after taking a hard test and keep me sane with all the stress of school. She genuinely cares about everyone and she loves what she does every day, whether it’s getting ready for lunch or serving breakfast in the mornings. I strongly believe that Pam the cookie lady is one of the reasons that Mill Valley is great.