In early July, a few Congregation Kol Ami board members toured the Migrant Farmworkers Assistance Fund (MFAF) operations in Lexington, Missouri, and MFAF’s service area, spanning 70 miles across Lafayette County from Wellington to east of Waverly.
The board members got to see firsthand what MFAF does and where they do it.
MFAF founder and director Suzanne Gladney drove the board members to apple and peach orchards where farmworkers put in 14-16 hours per day picking fruit, caring for trees and working in packing sheds. Gladney spoke of the pride the farmworkers take in their work.
The men, in the United States under a federal work program, live in cinder block buildings, generally with six men to a room and as many as 12 to a bathroom. Many of the men travel solo, while some arrive with families, their children attending local schools (the orchards cover a range of three school districts). Grocery stores may be 50 miles away.
Suzanne and her husband, Alan Lubert, spoke of the Head Start program at MFAF’s Lexington facility, as well as other programs and services that MFAF provides, such as medical and dental case management, education assistance, advocacy, legal services, and help with emergency material needs. The Kol Ami group toured a storage room stacked from floor to ceiling with donated food, primarily from the regional food bank Harvesters. They saw the grocery bags that are donated packed with food and supplies (such as hygiene and cleaning products, diapers, toys, clothing, baseball caps and other items) for migrant workers and their families.
Kol Ami plans a service activity on Monday, Aug. 15, at the Lexington site to distribute food, clothing and other supplies to the farmworkers and their families. Those interested in MFAF can visit its website at migrantfarmworkersaf.org to learn more.
