Extreme weather in Southern California has created brutal working conditions for farmworkers over the last year. In some cases, work has stopped altogether. That includes last weekend, when Tropical Storm Hilary swept through the region, leaving rows of crops waterlogged and muddy. Now, a coalition of nonprofits and mutual aid groups is distributing fresh food and supplies to Coachella Valley farmworkers. KCRW talks to Mily Trevino-Sauceda, the executive director of Alianza Nacional de Campesinas, and Melissa Acedera, director of Polo’s Pantry.
Trevino-Sauceda says many farmworker families already face difficult living conditions, which the storm only exacerbated.
“All these trees falling because of what happened with all this rain and wind and flooding, it just created even more anxiety and more issues. … There's been houses that have been flooded, mobile home parks, which I call labor camps because they're all beat-up trailers that are being rented to these families. … Some of the places were just flooded altogether, everything was damaged.”
Alizana and Polo’s Pantry have also teamed up with other groups, including Food Forward and the Coachella Valley’s Volunteers in Medicine. They’re supplying household products, water, fruits, and vegetables — even delivering door-to-door or via U-Haul truck.
Trevino-Sauceda says getting aid into families’ hands is critical right now. “The Coachella Valley is in its place where there's very little work because [of] the heat. A lot of the work is not done and it only starts in September or October. So people are all unemployed.”
She adds, "We have many thousands and thousands of families here that are also undocumented. … Because of that, they're very afraid to be able to get some support. Only seeing faces like us … because we're known in that community, they come out of their homes, and they're able to also help … distribute.”
If you want to get involved, Acedera says the best way is to donate money, which can help workers buy batteries, tarps, and water. She adds that Polo’s Pantry is accepting in-kind donations at their community space in East Hollywood.
“If people are interested in donating hygiene supplies, anything that they … would like to support the farmworkers with, they can reach out to us @PolosPantryLA and we will be able to receive donations, and we can drive it over to Coachella,” Acedera says.