Students in the Culinary Academy donated $600.00 raised through fundraising activities throughout the year to the Oberlin School Farm Collaborative. The collaborative provides outdoor instruction and laboratory facilities for students and staff of Oberlin City Schools, Lorain County Academy and Lorain County Boys and Girls Club. Through real life experience with sustainable agriculture, students will produce food that can be used to supply their school lunch programs and provide healthy locally grown snacks for the partner organizations. Additionally, some of the produce may be donated to community organizations, and to sold to the general public.

The partnership was established when the JVS Culinary Academy instructors visited the George Jones Farm in Oberlin during a planned professional development/business advisory day in the fall. The George Jones Farm and Nature Preserve is a 70 acre farmstead owned by Oberlin College and operated by the New Agrarian Center (NAC) as a cooperative farm incubator and educational center.

The New Agrarian staff shared their vision of the farm, sustainability and buying and using locally grown produce and other products.

After the visit, the JVS instructors pledged to help establish or assist with the creation of gardens in every school district served by the JVS in Lorain County.

Culinary instructors Chef Kristian Smith, Chef Tim Michitsch, and Maurina Driscoll, along with JVS Superintendent John Nolan presented the check to John Schroth, Assistant Superintendent of Oberlin Schools and toured the garden site at 218 North Pleasant St, Oberlin.