Immokalee Florida was already in need before Hurricane Irma came through in October 2017. Most people in Immokalee are migrant workers; they pick the tomatoes, cucumbers, and peppers we see in restaurants and at our tables throughout the U.S. Edward R. Murrow examined their plight in CBS’s 1960 “Harvest of Shame,” showing the poor conditions of the migratory harvesters. Fifty-seven years later, conditions have improved, but when we drove 45 minutes east from wealthy Naples to Immokalee, the small town areas still look similar to a third-world country, or an Indian reservation. Hurricane Irma’s damage was most evident in trailer parks, where it had ripped apart homes, leaving some destroyed and others needing to be patched together, with contents either salvaged or thrown away.
These migrants from Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, etc. travel north and south to the different states to harvest whatever crops are ready to be picked, some returning to Immokalee for the winter where harvesting continues. After Irma, the destroyed crops needed to be re-planted, and harvest is months away, leaving some migrant harvesters out of work. For some whose homes were spared, the issue has been lack of income because of post-hurricane crop damage.
We replaced tables, chairs, electric stoves, and refrigerators. We also volunteered at Benison Distribution center, sorting and shelving by size new donated clothes so that teachers from the surrounding schools could come and easily pick what was needed for the children, all this under direction and vision of Frank, who has tirelessly headed the distribution center since the day after the hurricane. The center distributes goods daily to local churches and other agencies that then deliver to those in need. There is an amazing flow of donations in and out; diapers, food, clothes, personal hygiene items. Frank has organized volunteers to put together assorted care packages for families for agencies to pick up for delivery.
The gift for us on a trip like this is to have many other parts of our lives temporarily suspended. In Immokalee, we had a situation where it was so clearly important to give our best and to put our personal issues and pettiness aside while we served others. It was anothertaste of a possibility to have more and more of those moments in our lives without a disaster needed to bring in that way of living and acting.
As we headed back to California, while it was clear that many more months of work and aid are needed for a full recovery from Irma’s damage, it was heart warming to know we eased the way for some of the families we met in Immokalee.
Many thanks and our heartfelt gratitude to Frank, Dawn, Julie, Nancy, Dottie, Bob, Shelly, and Liz for helping us participate in your efforts to help the people there. Thank you also to Karen and John, and Andy and Joe for being there for us and making our stay go so smoothly.
NEW BEDS!
Our first outreach effort was to purchase a bulk order of beds and personally deliver them. Many families’ mattresses were moldy, and some people did not have a bed at all. Some families had numerous members all living under one roof in order to afford the rent; it was not uncommon to find mother, father, and three children all sleeping in one bedroom.
Home deliveries made for extraordinarily rich interactions. We arrived at houses with mattresses, frames, box springs, sheets, pillows, and blankets. After being directed to the right spot by the thrilled family, we would set up the new bed sets, sometimes with the help of the kids. We talked with the family, helped the kids with their English homework, held the young ones, listened to the family’s stories, and exchanged tearful embraces. Children who had never had a bed of their own wore huge smiles, as did we, appreciating those moments of actually being able to give without the expectation of something in return.
One day, social worker Daisy and I got in a golf cart and my fellow volunteers followed us in the truck to Elizabeta’s house. She greeted us at the door and I was struck by her strong Guatemalan features. In her arms was Elia, born 6 weeks ago, and we all had some “gaga” baby moments—captivated by the miracle and purity of new life. At Elizabeta’s skirt was a very shy 3-year-old girl who warmed up to us quickly, as you can see in the photo. We put the bed together and made it with Elizabeta’s choice of sheets and a fuzzy blue blanket. She was so happy to have a bed for her daughter! We took a photo of the family, with Genevieve holding the now playful little girl and me, Seeah, holding Elia the baby.
