USA - OHIO: Lima Senior Agriculture Students Turn Hydroponic Towers into Fresh Food for the Community
September 3, 2026
LIMA, OH (WLIO) - It’s a win-win as Lima City Schools and the West Ohio Food Bank partner to provide fresh produce while addressing food insecurity in the area.
The announcement was made Thursday at Lima Senior High School’s Career Tech Building, which houses the school’s agriculture education program.
The West Ohio Food Bank used grant dollars to purchase five hydroponic growing towers for the program. Students plant, care for, and harvest leafy greens, including lettuce, arugula, and collard greens.
The students have already completed their first harvest, delivering 12 pounds of fresh greens to the West Ohio Food Bank.
The partnership brings together education, agriculture, and hunger relief while giving students hands-on experience in growing food for their community.
“We start them off with little seeds, and as time goes on with the RO water and everything, which is growing the plants and once they’re big enough, we harvest them, and then we give them back to the West Ohio Food Bank and keep the process repeating,” said Dakota Dobbins, a senior and member of the Lima Senior FFA.
The program also teaches students about the importance of working together and helping address needs in their community.
“They also learn much more than that. They learn about building our community, working together, seeing the need that might be in our community. And so that’s really what this is all about,” said Tim Garmon, an instructor in agriculture and outdoor education.
West Ohio Food Bank President and CEO Tommie Harner said the partnership provides students with an opportunity to make a meaningful contribution to the community while learning about agriculture.
“It’s just a great way that it’s not only giving back to the community, but the kids are learning the educational component and they know that what they’re doing is very meaningful to those who face food insecurity,” Harner said.
Harner says the produce will be distributed to area food banks as it is brought in by the students.