Farmworker Caravan offers help to Half Moon Bay workers impacted by mass shooting
SAN JOSE - The shootings in Half Moon Bay have focused attention on the plight of farmworkers. While it's sad that it took a tragedy to do that, a San Jose non-profit called Farmworker Caravan is working to bring much needed help and awareness to those workers using a grass-roots delivery system.
On Wednesday, donations of food and clothing were coming in fast and furiously to the San Jose Women's Club. A call had gone out asking for help for the often-unseen farmworkers in Half Moon Bay, many still reeling from the trauma of Monday's mass shootings.
"And of course, you want to help that," said donor Cathy Gist from Los Gatos. "That was a terrible tragedy. I mean, that was just...devastating."
The woman behind the effort is Darlene Tenes. When the pandemic shutdown first began, she heard about an effort to get relief supplies to farmworkers in Watsonville.
"This was at a time when there was nothing in the stores, right? So, we cleaned out our personal pantries, put it in our trunks and drove to Watsonville," said Tenes. "And then I said, 'We need to do more.'"
That's how the Farmworker Caravan was born. For the past two years, Tenes has been organizing food and clothing drives benefiting farmworkers from the San Mateo Coast down to Monterey County. Items are collected, stuffed into as many as 90 passenger vehicles and driven to wherever the help is needed.
"It's just everyday people," she said. "People in the community that care."
On Wednesday, one of those offering help was Pearline Chukes. She showed up on foot with a cart full of clothing and a $20 donation.
"We should be helping them," she said. "Because they've done a great job all these years, you know, taking care of this country and taking care of us. And it's time for us to take care of them."
The caravan of cars wasn't necessary on Wednesday, thanks to the use of a large truck donated for the day by Habitat For Humanity. And while that may be a more fuel-efficient way to deliver goods, volunteer Lari Yamaguchi said it's not a bad thing for people to see where their food actually comes from.
"The whole thing that started with the caravan was to take the donors and have them drive to the farms and see the farmworkers working," she said. "So, we're there on a Saturday, having fun and waving at farmworkers and they're out in the fields working!"
"Everybody eats, you know?" said Tenes. "There's not a single person in America that doesn't benefit from a farmworker. And they're such an important part of our society, but people don't recognize them."
That's why she started the caravan, not just to help those who grow our food--but to let them know that we see them doing it.
The Farmworker Caravan planned to continue its relief drive on Thursday.
HOW TO HELP:
The Farmworker Caravan is asking for donations and volunteers to help with their efforts. More information and a sign-up page are available online here.
For more information on how to help the Half Moon Bay farming community, visit ALAS (Ayudando a Latinos a Soñar) at their website alasdreams.com.