Congress continues to grapple with the difficult issue of immigration. Meanwhile, states like Florida continue to depend on the workers who are vital to Florida’s agriculture industry. Since 1997, Harvest of Hope has distributed more than $1 million dollars in emergency and educational financial aid to migrant farmworkers and families throughout the United States. The Director of the Harvest of Hope Foundation, Phil Kellerman, talks with Donna Green-Townsend about the economic and health struggles of migrant workers.
Since the airing of this special, Kellerman has announced he will be closing the Harvest of Hope Foundation. In an email posted on August 7, 2013 he wrote:
Dear Friends:
This is the final communication concerning the closing of the Harvest of Hope Foundation (HOH). The total amount of emergency and educational financial aid provided to migrant farmworkers and families by HOH was $1,092,591.00.
If you wish to continue to support migrant farmworkers and families, I highly recommend financial donations be made to the following three great migrant-service organizations providing health, legal and educational assistance.
1) National Center for Farmworker Health. www.ncfh.org. Click on “Call for Health – Your Donations.”
3) BOCES Geneseo Migrant Scholarship Funds. www.migrant.net. Click on “Scholarships.”
In addition, I am using proceeds from my private eBay sales to pay for the shipping of donated footwear to migrant families. If you have gently used and/or new shoes, sneakers and boots to donate, please contact me at my new email address which is philkellerman77@gmail.com or call me at 352-262-5421.
Last, in the spirit of HOH, the company “Book iT” (bookit.com.bz) will donate 50% of the sales of donated books to the children of migrant farm workers in textbook scholarships and school supplies at the beginning of each school year. If you have books to donate please contact Todd Williams or Edward Ray by phone at 352-371-9970. You can also email them at todd@bookit.com.bz and edward@bookit.com.bz.
Thank you for all the support given to HOH over the years.And please stay in touch.
Earlier today the Secretary of Homeland Security and the President announced that they will stop deporting the children of undocumented immigrants and begin giving work permits to younger people who came to the U.S. as children. This decision will affect as many as 800,000 immigrants, and allow them to apply for work authorization without the fear of being deported. Florida’s 89.1, WUFT-FM’s Donna Green-Townsend talked with the President of an organization that assists the needs of migrant workers called Harvest of Hope about today’ announcement.
Kellerman adds the Harvest of Hope Foundation is holding a yard and book sale to benefit a migrant farmworker who is in the St. Francis House with inoperable cancer. The goal is to raise funds to help transport him to his family in Texas. The event will be on Saturday from 7 a.m. to noon at 3519 NW 53rd Terrace in Gainesville just off NW 39th Avenue.