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As life for immigrants in this country becomes increasingly perilous and distressing, the Peace and Social Concerns Committee of the Fort Myers Friends Meeting has decided to put our faith into action by volunteering to serve the Immokalee farmworker community in some way.
This community, made up of Haitian, Guatemalan and Southern Mexican immigrants of varied statuses, are essential farmworkers, as they are the ones who pick the fruits and vegetables that the rest of us depend on. They work long, hot days in the South Florida fields, but are paid so little that they often cannot afford to buy the very food they have just harvested.
Two local organizations, a farmworker ministry called Misiόn Peniel, and a small NGO, Cultivate Abundance, have been collecting donations of clothing appropriate for work in the fields as well as food and supplies for residents to take home. Additionally, Cultivate Abundance promotes home gardens and the cultivation of fresh, culturally appropriate food for farmworker families.
The Misiόn Peniel church in Immokalee is little more than a storehouse for these donations.
Working with the directors of these two organizations, we discovered that they needed volunteers to bag and distribute the food they provide each Friday to approximately 350-450 people in the community who line up in the Misiόn Peniel Parking lot.
Under Pastor Miguel’s guidance, four to eight of us volunteers help bag and hand out food, invite people to line up in an orderly way, greet and chat with the people, sometimes in their native languages (we’ve learned a few phrases), play little games with children as they wait in line with their parents, and help hand out “Know Your Rights” fliers that inform immigrants of their rights under U.S law.
Pastor Miguel gives us a short, inspiring sermon that helps us focus on what we are receiving from the people as well as what we are giving them.
Our t-shirts saying “Quaker Witness for Peace” on the front and “Peace” in three languages on the back are a visual symbol, both to the residents and to any authorities in the area that we are watching to make sure that the farm worker families are being treated fairly and lawfully.
Even on the Fridays when other faith communities take on the food packaging and distribution role, a smaller number of Quakers stay in the parking lot to welcome the farm workers and – hopefully- dissuade ICE staff from coming into the property.
We are inspired by a prayer, written by Rick Burnette, Co-Director of Cultivate Abundance, that faithfully describes the people we meet each Friday and the attitude we are trying to cultivate in ourselves about this service:
The Immokalee Blessing
Gracious God of Abundance,
we ask your blessing on the exhausted farmworkers,
their hands and clothes stained tomato vine green,
as they exit ramshackle buses after a long day in the fields.
Thank you for their efforts to put food on our tables.
Bless them as they support their families near and far.
Lord God who welcomes the children,
bless the very frail five-year-old who comes with her mother
to receive groceries and a few cookies most Fridays.
Bless the unknown healthcare providers determined to provide essential care for this undocumented child.
Bless this sweet little girl.
Comforter of the Stranger,
show us how to share your love and support
for the overwhelmed young mother of this frail, little child
whose husband has likely been deported.
Bless her, and all the other moms standing in line for food,
who struggle to make meals and wash clothes
while worrying whether their husbands,
children, and neighbors will return home this evening.
God of the Misunderstood,
bless the confused man living with a mental illness,
the unhoused lady in soiled clothing, the prostitutes,
and those addicted to alcohol who stagger through the line.
We confess our fear, judgment, and disgust.
Remind us that you are revealed in them.
Loving God,
bless those caring people in and around Immokalee
who grow and share food from home and church gardens
to nourish and honor this ironically food insecure farm community.
Thank you for their donations of mangoes, avocados, carambolas, and sweet potatoes.
Bless their gardens, fruit trees, and hands.
Lord of the Well Meaning,
many of us serving at Misión Peniel for the first time
aren’t often in the presence of the hungry and the stranger.
We’ve heard what the powerful say about immigrant communities
to stoke fear and loathing.
Lord God, displace our anxiety with compassion and understanding.
Lord of Creation,
we recognize the destruction of the southwest Florida landscape
which once hosted wetlands, pine scrub,
gopher tortoises, and panthers.
Bless us with the will and knowledge to produce food
without destroying your holy handiwork
while guaranteeing respect for farmworkers.
Lord of All,
we ask you to bless those in positions of power and influence
with newly opened eyes and repentance
for any maltreatment inflicted on the Least of These.
Bless them further with wisdom, courage, and discernment
so that thy Kingdom come, thy Will be done.
God of all Humanity and Creation,
make us a blessing to all who come together at Misión Peniel.
And remind us to extend your blessings
in each location where we live,
work, worship, and serve.
Amen.