JACKSON COUNTY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) – Jackson County students were cooking for a cause at the agricultural center Tuesday night. Despite what colors each student sports on Friday nights, they were all cooking for the same team.
“So, what we did today actually started last night, got here about 11 p.m., fired up the smokers and began work on cooking about 2500 pork chops to help support the Jackson County Education foundation,” Cottondale High School student Joshua Surlock said.
The money raised for the education foundation helps support teachers.
“The money goes into the foundation, the state matches the funds, and the teachers can apply for grants,” Franklin County School Principal Laurence Pender explained.
“They [the teachers] are awarded money for whatever their grant is describing,” Jackson County Education Foundation member Charlotte Gardner added.
The students know they’re the ones who will benefit from this program in the long run.
“It does help support the students because it’s supporting the teachers,” Surlock said. “Teachers are able to get this money to help provide supplies for their classroom, which is providing students, in turn, a better educational experience.”
Better education means it’s better for the community as a whole.
“Our community comes together, it mixes our schools with our community, it mixes our community people with our students, and it’s just a win-win situation for all of us,” Gardner said.
This fundraiser raised over $45,000 last year with the grant match funds from the state, and officials say they’re hoping to raise even more this year.
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