Welcoming & Working Together
This spring and summer, we collaborated with partner organizations across the state to welcome migrant workers and their families to Maine.
Our teams friendly faces welcoming folks to our Welcome and Resource Fairs this summer
Thanks to collaborative grants received from Maine Health Equity Foundation, we were able to work with two partner organizations to run Welcome and Resource Fairs designed to serve and support folks traveling over this year's broccoli, potato and blueberry harvest seasons.
Spring 2024
In the spring our Access to Essential Services and Migrant Education teams traveled to Aroostook county to work alongside the Mi'kmaq Nation and welcome folks arriving for the broccoli and potato seasons.
The set-up of resource tables for folks arriving to the Welcome and Resource Fair in Aroostook county.
With so many workers arriving in rural areas that are hard to find and access, partnerships are essential for success. Thanks to outreach done by folks in the Mi’kmaq Nation we were able to spread the word about the event and ensure that folks had the transportation needed to arrive at the welcome event.
The Mi’kmaq Nation provided space on their farm and support in order to welcome almost 200 people! At the fair folks were able to visit our mobile pantry, enjoy a hot meal, and make connections to partner organizations in Aroostook county.
Summer 2024
Over the summer season we organized a total of 35 different outreach and welcome events throughout Washington and Hancock counties to welcome folks traveling for Maine's wild blueberry harvest. The wild blueberry harvest in what is known today as Washington County, Maine owes its origins to the rich histories and land-stewarding practices of the vibrant communities of Wabanaki people who have lived on this land for thousands of generations. Today, many Wabanaki people continue to travel with their families to harvest wild blueberries and are a meaningful part of the year round and seasonal community.
“Celebrating and uplifting our culture is so important - especially for young children to see. It makes me happy to see drummers here, and people coming together.”
-Event Participant.
These events included three site based Welcome and Resource Fairs, one of which we co-hosted with Wabanaki Public Health and Wellness. At the event community members were welcomed with drumming and a warm meal prepared by members of the Wabanaki community. Folks were able to visit the Our Mercadito food pantry, and connected with partner organizations (Pathstones, WIC, ILAP, Pine Tree Legal, Preble Street, and more!) who helped folks access support in the areas of education, health, social services, and legal aid.
Ongoing Support
After the Welcome and Resource Fair events, the Mano en Mano team continued to provide support and outreach to folks throughout the harvest. Creating ongoing access to food for workers in rural locations with lack of transportation was a major goal for our team. Over the summer, we distributed more than 56,000 pounds of food, including 13,000 pounds of fresh produce, to over 2,500 individuals in the area for the harvest.
We want to thank all community members, partner organizations and our supporters for making this work possible and ensuring that workers and their families are welcomed to our state, celebrated, and supported.
If you want to support this work, please consider giving to Mano en Mano today!
