Dear family and friends,

My story is one out of the many millions whose parents’ sacrificed everything in order for their children and loved ones to have a better life.  

My interest in participating in the farmworker movement comes from my own Latino/Mexican heritage and the desire to help my own people. My father immigrated to this country to work as a farmworker and ranch laborer and to experience the American dream of pursuing a better life for our family. My father left my mother with their eight children in Mexico, working hard to send money back to us and eventually bring us to America. Once we were here, I saw the good and the bad of my folks making a living as farm laborers. Although they had a better chance of making a living in America, they also experienced the difficulties of a second language, citizenship status, low wages, and unfair discrimination at times. This made me want to pursue a higher education in order to make a difference, not only in my own life, but in the lives of others as well. The sacrifices and hard work both my parents made to make my life and those of my siblings better was inspiring. Thus, it is my generation's responsiblilty to carry on that dream of a better life.

WHY YOU SHOULD SUPPORT SAF

1. Have you ever wondered how it is possible for Albertsons, Costco, Fred Meyers, WinCo, Wal-Mart, and other grocery stores to stock their stores with fruits and vegetables in Idaho as well as nationwide? According to the National Center for Farmworkers Health, “Eighty-five percent of fruits and vegetables produced in the United States, including those in North Carolina are harvested by hand. When going out grocery shopping remember that the product you purchase comes from the work of men, women, and children who have been exploited for years."

2. In some cases there are migrant children who can't attend one school in a single year because their parents are moving back-and-forth to find work, which causes them to fall behind in their education.

3. Many farmworkers face extreme health risks due to exposure to toxic chemicals in pesticides used to treat fruits and vegetables. According to SAF farmworker health, “Nausea, vomiting, cramping, and itchy/burning eyes are known short-term effects of acute pesticide poisoning while long-term health effects of pesticide exposure include: cancer, neurological disorders, miscarriage, infertility, memory loss, and depression.”

With your tax exempt donations you will help me to help SAF this summer in conducting health assessments with workers in their homes, health education workshops about pesticides, nutrition, heat stress, HIV and STIs, and other occupational health concerns specific to agriculture. In addition, interpreting medical terminology between workers and health providers, visiting workers in their homes, and providing health- related work are other services that SAF offers.                      

"I alone cannot change the world, BUT I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples." – Mother Teresa

Thank you!                                 

Fidel Ruiz