The San Benito County League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) Young Adults Council collected 150 bags of food and over $300 in monetary donations during its food drive for farmworkers and their families on April 4. Farmworkers are considered essential under the county shelter-in-place order that is set to expire May 4.
About 15 volunteers split shifts during the six-hour food drive held between Westside Liquors and Taqueria Los Grullenses on Fourth Street in Hollister. The food collected will be distributed to farmworkers at the United Farm Workers office and various job sites, Young Adults Council Secretary Ana De Castro said. Food collected included tortillas, pasta, bread, fruits, vegetables, peanut butter and jelly.
“We were looking at the food that we had collected and we looked at the truck and we’re like ‘ooh, I hope it fits,’” De Castro said. “We were glad we had to ask ourselves that question.”
De Castro said the San Benito LULAC Young Adults Council wanted to support farmworkers not only because their continued work is essential during the COVID-19 pandemic, but also because they could be facing challenges with their legal status and living conditions.
“They are very much needed,” De Castro said.
Elected officials including State Senator Anna Caballero, State Assemblyman Robert Rivas, San Benito County Supervisor Jim Gillio, Hollister Councilwoman Honor Spencer and Hollister School District Superintendent Diego Ochoa attended the food drive to show their support. Several teachers from local schools also donated to the cause, and the Young Adults Council distributed census information sheets that Caballero brought with her.
“It was a really big community effort and I think that’s what we saw at the end of the day, everyone really is here to give back to the farmworkers,” De Castro said. “And we know this is a farmworking community so we really got to see the fruit of that and how much they really are appreciated today.”
According to the latest crop report, the gross value of San Benito County’s agricultural production was nearly $353 million in 2018, continuing a trend of growth since 2010 when it was worth about $255.4 million. 2018 exports included 1,122 shipments to Canada and 845 shipments to Mexico. Domestic shipments accounted for 600 exports. The county’s agricultural production ranks 29th in the state, according to the San Benito County Farm Bureau.
In an effort to keep everyone safe during the food drive, volunteers wore gloves, hats and face masks, and had hand sanitizers and wipes to clean surfaces. Volunteers maintained safe social distance and unloaded donations from cars while those donating stayed in their vehicles, De Castro said.
Riana Gutierrez, president of the San Benito LULAC Young Adult Council, said she was grateful for all the donations the group received.
“[It] felt amazing being able to give back to those who feed us and our families,” Gutierrez said. “They deserve it and much more.”
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