On a hot, humid day during July 2022, the Western New York Coalition of Farmworker Serving Agencies’ (WNYCFSA) dream of hosting their first Health and Safety Fair for migrant and seasonal farmworkers became a long-awaited reality for Executive Director Irene Sanchez and its 45 organizational agency members. This grassroots coalition, which began more than three decades ago and became a 501(c)(3) organization in 2018, is quickly establishing themselves as champions of the migrant farmworker community.
They meet monthly with a simple mission: facilitate information exchange, advocacy, and collaboration among organizations that serve migrants and seasonal farmworkers. They work to identify and overcome barriers to equal rights and respect in their place of employment, as well as in the communities in which they live.
In planning their first Health and Safety Fair, their goals were straightforward: create a space for migrant farmworkers to gather safely in a festive environment where they could access community services in a single location while at the same time increase an awareness among a population that struggles with unique barriers and challenges in accessing community and health care services.
On the day of the fair, over 300 people came together for a day of celebration. Vendors, volunteers, and service providers actively engaged migrant farmworkers who received bilingual educational materials, resources, and guidance from trusted members of the community. Twenty-three agencies from all over western New York volunteered their services.
Information was provided on legal services, pesticides, cancer screenings, mental health screening, dental and vision care, social justice information, worker rights, immigration rights, education on breastfeeding, health insurance, diabetes, blood pressure checks, nutrition, vaccines, GED information, COVID-19 education, and tobacco-free education. Three local mobile units were also present to offer health screenings, vaccines, and insurance information.
Multiple give-aways were donated to the coalition on that day, such as, bicycles, gift cards, trophies, medals, plants, masks, and hand sanitizers. Art activities engaged children and families, soccer tournaments and domino games were held, music by a DJ was provided, and a complimentary hot lunch was served to the participants. The success of this first-ever health and safety fair was only possible because of the effective partnerships and generous sponsors within the community. Farmworkers, whose tedious labor puts food on our tables, frequently expressed their sincere gratitude and appreciation throughout the day.
In New York State, as of 2017, there were 33,438 farms with an estimated number of 59,433 farmworkers as noted by the National Center for Farmworker Health. The top crops of farmworker labor include apples, cabbage, sweet corn, potatoes, and grapes. There are also large animal production farm workers on dairy farms. In the western New York counties of Niagara, Orleans, Monroe, Genesee, Wyoming, Erie, and Livingston counties there are over 10,791 farm workers, noted in 2017.
This past year, 2021, has been a good one for this local coalition. In addition to the success of the recent Health and Safety Fair, the Coalition was awarded a grant by the Finger Lakes Performing Provider System, whose purpose was to address COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in the farmworker population and assist in farmworkers and their families acquiring the vaccine. A total of 3,744 migrant and seasonal farmworkers and their families were impacted through this grant.
According to Craig Regelbrugge of AmericanHort, “When we produce here (in the U.S.) we are generating thousands upon thousands of jobs that are not on the farm necessarily. They’re related to inputs that the farmer must buy in order to produce. They’re related to things that must happen after the crop or product leaves the farm. The multiplier effect for each farmworker is said to be somewhere between two and three jobs that are created here.” This is why our seasonal and migrant farmworkers are so crucial to the American table and why WNYCFSA work to recognize and address their needs.
For more information about the Western New York Coalition of Farmworker Serving Agencies, contact them directly at http://westernnycoalition@gmail.com. If you would like to support their mission, contributions can be sent directly to Western New York Coalition of Farmworker Serving Agencies, 1335 Jefferson Road, P.O. Box 92373, Rochester, NY 14692. The Western New York Coalition of Farmworker Serving Agencies is a 501(c)(3) organization. Donations are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law.
Submission by Maria Delgado Sutton, Executive Coordinator WNY Coalition of Farmworker Serving Agencies
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