Thinking of Fields

I spent Summer 2005 working with Student Action with Farmworkers (SAF) as an Into the Fields intern (Noah did too...the end of that summer was the beginning of US). I can't begin to share what this experience meant to me. SAF continues to be one of the organizations I admire most.

I'm getting ready to head to South Carolina for the weekend and already I'm thinking about the farmworker camps I'll pass. Driving down Interstate 40, I never used to notice the shabby worker housing tucked around the edges of vast fields. I never thought about how all the pesticides being sprayed on the fields affect the workers who pick those fields. I didn't value the food that comes to my table in quite the same way I do now...

Melchor Tomas - farmworkers turned farmer, Western NC
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I'll probably be sharing more of my thoughts on farmworkers - especially during these summer months. For now...please be thankful for those who harvest your food. And if you're looking to make a meaningful donation...SAF is my first recommendation!

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Also, Tony Macias, SAF's Assistant Director, put together this film upon returning from a delegation trip to Mexico.

Check it out.

Video: Witness the Roots of Migration