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Hunger Strike Force
Assuring Florida's Migrant Workforce
A young man's stomach rumbled while waiting in line. When handed the desperately needed groceries, he nodded appreciation because he couldn't remember the English word for, "gracias." He is one of 6,000 farm workers without a job due to January's devastating freezes in Florida.
Migrant camps in Immokalee, Florida are temporary homes to thousands of farm workers and their families. Living in poverty, three families often share one trailer house that is not even equipped with a refrigerator. When tomato, pepper and citrus crops were lost to this winter's freeze, they lost their only source of income. A few small church-sponsored food banks offered as much help as they could muster, but it just wasn't enough.
"A farm laborer is a member of the poorest and most disadvantaged class of American workers," writes Daniel Rothernberg in With These Hands. He goes on to say 70% of the nation's farm workers are immigrants and 90% of those immigrants are from Mexico. Of the over one million migrant farm laborers, two-thirds live below the poverty line.
Forty-two men from the Full Gospel Businessmen's Fellowship International (FGBFI) in nearby Naples, Florida decided it was time to assure the migrant population they were not forgotten and began planning a food distribution. Richard Kalial of Somebody Cares Tampa Bay, OBI's outreach center in southwest Florida, coordinated with the Hunger Strike Force (HSF) in getting the needed supplies transported.
During the third week of February, one HSF tractor-trailer of non-perishable food was unloaded and stored at The Tomato Man, Inc., a local tomato processing plant closed due to the frozen crops. The owner, Bill O'Quinn, and his employees helped unload the truck and offered the use of refrigerated warehouse space to store the salad as well as the plant's parking lot for the food distribution. Later that same week, a second HSF tractor-trailer pulled in with a truckload of freshly prepared salads.
Eager to help, twenty-two teens from a local youth group and FGBFI members converged onto The Tomato Man, Inc.'s parking lot early February 24th. Clear sunny skies and the sounds of a live band lead over 2,000 families and single migrant workers to the center of Immokalee. Their plastic bags were soon filled with fresh salad, oatmeal, canned goods, juice, candy, paper products, and toiletries.
Surrounded by thirteen children all under the age of ten, one mother was grateful for the food. This remarkable woman had adopted all thirteen homeless children. Excitedly each child picked out a box of their favorite cereal!
"It was better than anything we could have planned," said Milt Thomas, event coordinator for FGBFI. "Thanks to OBI and Somebody Cares Tampa Bay for everything. With out your help it couldn't have happened."
At the event's conclusion, additional bags of food were delivered to elderly shut-ins, and surplus salad and oatmeal was given to local food banks.
Now, go ahead and take a bite of that sweet naval Florida orange and remember a migrant worker's toil brought you this moment of satisfaction.
Help HSF drive away hunger!
Stretch Your Donation Further
During March and April your contribution to HSF will be stretched even further through The Feinstein Foundation's $1 million challenge. The more you give to HSF, the more of the $1 million will be sent to us. Thank you for helping HSF driving away America's hunger! Please contribute Today!
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