Organizations feed farmworkers for the Thanksgiving holiday
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SALINAS, CA (KSBW) — One thousand food boxes were distributed to farmworkers and their families in Salinas Monday afternoon. The hundreds of people who showed up received a special Thanksgiving meal.
“What we wanted to do was make sure that everybody and all of our farm workers that we can help are going to get a wonderful pozole box. It’s got all of the fixings and it’s got a recipe. We’re going to make sure that everybody can enjoy a wonderful Thanksgiving,” said executive director for the Foodbank for Monterey County, Melissa Kendrick. “We just thought we’d shake it up and do something differently. It’s really important to remember that we’re a community of diversity and that all families have their own tradition.”
The COVID-19 pandemic has changed several plans this Thanksgiving. However, the Foodbank for Monterey County, along with other local organizations, is working to prevent farmworker families from going hungry.
“Farmworkers have been on the front lines since the beginning of this. They’ve been making sure that all of us can eat. Unfortunately, too, they’ve been disproportionately affected by COVID-19,” said Kendrick.
For many of these families, this isn’t their first time at a distribution drive.
“Whenever they come, you see the despair in their eyes,” explained Chris Barrera, president of the League of United Latin American Citizens Salinas council. “It’s kind of difficult to deal with because they always ask, ‘When’s the next one, when’s the next one?’”
Although it’s an uncertain time, Barrera said everyone who comes to receive food is extremely grateful.
“Today’s food distribution is to celebrate our farmworkers, our essential workers that have been working from day one since COVID started. They deserve this,” said Barrera.
Barrera said this is their 28th food distribution in the county, explaining they are preparing for another one next week in Chualar.
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