As a society, we celebrate things like National Donut Day, National Pizza Day, and even our kids celebrate a Dr. Seuss Day in school.
We have a designated day, week and month celebration for nearly every idea and every person you can imagine. Thankfully, seven whole days have been set aside for National Farmworker Awareness Week, which runs March 25-31 each year.
I don’t think we celebrate this important week loud enough. I would love for the same people who have scrolled social media, realized it was National Margarita Day and instantly made plans for happy hour, to apply that same energy and enthusiasm to celebrating farmworkers.
Without farmworkers, there would be no lime for your margarita, tomato for your pizza sauce or wheat harvest for the flour that makes your donut.
Nearly 2.5 million farmworkers across the U.S. are performing hard and skilled labor on farms, ranches, greenhouses, and in packing facilities. Farmworkers are most numerous in the produce industry as many of the fruits and vegetables we enjoy are hand harvested. These proud workers are the backbone of our food economy, and we owe them our gratitude.
National Farmworker Awareness Week is a designated week of action for communities to bring attention to the millions of essential workers that grow, care for, harvest, pack and ship the healthy and nutritious food that fills grocery store shelves.
It’s the perfect time to remind ourselves and consumers of important and #AlwaysEssential contributions farmworkers make to the food supply chain. It’s also the perfect opportunity to share their stories and your appreciation with everyone via social media.
As if the past two years of pandemic related challenges weren’t eye-opening enough, an international conflict is posing new risks to the world food supplies as inputs, labor and logistics are stretched by inflation.
Regardless of economic forces and political fallout, farmworkers will still be getting up and going to work and doing their best to grow, cultivate, harvest and pack the food we too often take for granted.
Join me in celebrating National Farmworker Awareness Week by using the hashtags #FarmworkerAwareness and #AlwaysEssential.
I would love to see social feeds flooded with an outpouring of gratefulness and joy for the men and women who grow and harvest our food. And if you’re so inclined, beyond social media, celebrate some farmworkers you know with donuts or happy hour.
For more information, please visit equitablefood.org/farmworkerawareness.
