Home Grown: A “Labor of Love”
YUMA, Ariz. (KECY/KYMA) - When you think about the produce on grocery store shelves, how often do you think about the workers who harvest it?
In today’s Home Grown, I’ll tell you about a program put together by the Yuma Fresh Vegetable Association that thanks those who work a labor of love.
That’s exactly what it is, the Labor of Love program recognizes the hard work of thousands of field workers throughout the Yuma area, Imperial Valley and the Salinas Valley.
“I love working with this company,” said Noe Rangel, field supervisor for Tanimura & Antle
A small but mighty team made its way to surprise the workers of Tanimura & Antle with a warm breakfast provided by Chili Pepper, a cold Pepsi and a bag of goodies.
“For us, it’s great to bring this out to our employees, especially guys like Noe who have been here for a long time. They are out here every day and getting things done that we need to get done,” said Cody Baker, Director of cold crops at Tanimura & Antle.
From sun up until sundown, farmworkers are putting in the work to provide consumers with fresh produce.
“You just show appreciation for what these people are doing out here. A lot of these people are crossing the border at a very early time in the morning. They are out here all day long as you can tell by the field it’s not an easy job. If it wasn’t for these people that we have out here, we wouldn’t have cauliflower, broccoli, lettuce in the stores for everyone else to eat. So we appreciate their help and it’s nice to have an organization like Labor of Love that can come out here and show their appreciation for them,” said Baker.
From growers to shippers, without our farmworkers, where would we be?
Though it may seem like a small gesture for such a big task, Labor of Love has a goal to share the gratitude the community has for their role in the ag industry.
“I like to work with the team because we have good communication,” said Rangel.
Along the way, they hope to share the stories of the people who make eating fresh produce possible.
“It’s my family, T&A is my family,” said Rangel. If you would like to find out more about the Labor of Love program and how you can donate your time, click here.
