Local farm workers enjoy a tamale breakfast
CALEXICO, Calif. (KYMA, KSWT, T3)
Farm workers in the Imperial Valley received lots of love Friday morning with a tamale breakfast.
The Employment Development Department of Imperial County held their 40th Annual Farm Worker Appreciation Breakfast.
Over 2,000 plates of warm food were served to the thousands of farmer workers that put food on our table daily.
“We got started 40 years ago with just an idea to provide a small thank you with coffee and sweet bread and it has evolved to what it is now,” said Dania Luna, Employment Development Department El Centro Cluster Manager.
Community members and organizations across the county came together to make the breakfast possible.
“We are very thankful for this, you know the job we do it’s not easy. I wake up every day at two in the morning so I can catch my ride at five and be at work at six, but my kids give me strength. This is for them so they can have a better future,” said Ana Jimenez, Farm Worker.
“Daily I work eight hours, sometimes four hours. I take any work that I can get. I’ve been working in the fields since I was fourteen. I knew nothing about farming but I learned out of necessity. All my colleagues here, we put in a lot of work, we don’t complain if our back hurts, or our knees. If it rains, if there’s thunder we are working regardless,” said Eduardo Salazar, Farm Worker.
Ana Jimenez said that although being a farm worker is tough, the good always outweighs the bad.
“There’s respect between us, we’re united and we treat each other like family, but most of all we value ourselves in the work that we do,” said Jimenez.
“We understand the work they’re doing is hard and difficult, but they are here doing it daily and thanks to them we have food on our table,” said Luna.
