Page 22 - Catholic Extension Magazine Summer2020

22 INSPIRE

Cover Story

s we enter the “high NOURISHING THOSE
season” for the
nation’s fruits and
vegetables, we turn WHO PICK THE CROPS
our attention to the
A vulnerable people Catholic Extension has long supported farmworkers
harvesting these crops. who are now being recognized as “essential”
Catholic Extension’s minis-
try to migrant farmworkers spans
26 dioceses across the heart of with multiple families. Workers
the nation’s agriculture industry. are often bussed from camps to
Despite the long hours and gruel- the fields which makes social dis-
ing physical demands of planting tancing a challenge.
and harvesting crops, one would Normally, this time of year, the
be hard-pressed to meet a group Church ramps up her activities
of people more thankful for the in these encampments. The Dio-
gift of work and the presence of cese of Yakima, Washington, for
the Church. example, estimates that its Catho-
Though their earnings are mea- lic population doubles in size each
ger, the value of the migrant farm- spring with the arrival of 100,000
worker is immense in our economy migrant workers who come to
and certainly in our Church. Our pick cherries, pears, and apples.
health and well-being are com- They are treated to weekly fies-
pletely intertwined with theirs. tas and Masses in the sprawling
Yet, the very people who pro- camps, often presided by Bishop
vide us with food often go hun- Joseph Tyson. Catholic Exten-
gry themselves. In fact, one of the
Church’s most common services ABOVE RIGHT
Migrants live in
among migrant farming commu- tent camps during
nities is providing food and basic the harvest, such
necessities that these workers can- as this one in
not afford. Monitor, WA.
With “high season” for farm- RIGHT In
workers underway, this pandemic Stockton,
is forcing us to see these oft-over- migrant
looked individuals. Can we be con- farmworkers need
fident in our ability to maintain humanitarian
our fields and their yields amid the and spiritual care
to survive the
COVID-19 pandemic? grueling demands
of their jobs.
THE CHURCH ADDRESSES
MIGRANTS’ UNIQUE NEEDS
One reason for alarm is that
many migrant farmworkers live
in communal housing. They stay
in large dorm rooms, tents, over-
crowded hotels or trailer homes