Blueberry Harvest 2024
Summer is here, and that means that the Mano en Mano team is preparing to welcome new and familiar faces to Downeast Maine for the 2024 wild blueberry harvest!
Migrant students arriving in the area that qualify for the Migrant Education Program, are welcomed to join us at the Blueberry Harvest School- our three week educational program for migrant students ages 3-15. The program is designed to celebrate identity, language and culture and support students reach their academic and socio-emotional growth goals.
Soaring through the forest!
Students took part in the ropes course at the Maine Seacoast Mission in Cherryfield as part of the 2023 Blueberry Harvest School
This summer the Blueberry Harvest School will be held from July 29 - August 16 at the Cherryfield Elementary School. Each year, parents select a theme for the school, and this summer's theme is “We Are So Much More.” This theme tackles ideas of identity, perception, and the pursuit of being - and feeling proud of - all that we are. We will explore experiences of breaking barriers, being authentic, and overcoming the limitations that others try to place on us.
Together we will encourage each other to dream of all that we can be. We are so much more: more than our circumstances, more than the expectations placed on us, and more than the fears that hold us back!
Pictures from the 2023 Blueberry Harvest School
Strike a pose!
Students and teachers have some fun at an activity night as part of out camp services programming.
In addition to school based programming for children 3-15, we will also provide educational and enrichment services to students and families through our Camp Services work that organizes direct outreach and support to migrant families. This work includes organizing English tutoring, distributing summer learning kits, and connecting with students and families so that they have access to the specific support they need while in the area.
Pictures from 2023 Camp Services activities
Welcoming our Community
This summer we are preparing to welcome and celebrate our seasonal community at Welcome and Resource Centers
Our Access to Essential Services team will also be doing outreach to seasonal community members over the summer, and organizing Welcome and Resource Centers. These centers are designed to welcome folks to the area, make connections to partner organizations in the areas of health, education, legal aid, and other social services, and provide access to essential resources. We will also support folks in applying to the Food and Farmworker Relief fund, and get connected to other supports the may need. Our Mercadito, Mano en Manos culturally nourishing food pantry, will play a key role this summer, and will provide fresh produce, meat and non-perishable items throughout the season.
Photos from our 2023 Welcome and Resource Centers
If you are a family that travels for the blueberry harvest, or may know a family that does, please reach out (email info@manomaine.org or call 207 546-3006) to learn more about the Migrant Education Program!
You can help welcome families to Maine this summer!
Please consider donating to Mano en Mano
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The Blueberry Harvest School provides two nutritious meals and snacks daily, following the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Nutrition Guidelines. Breakfast is served upon arrival, lunch is served around noon, and a snack is provided before dismissal.
Our food service program is an equal opportunity employer and provider. If you have any concerns about the food service program, we encourage you to contact Juana Rodriguez Vazquez, Mano en Mano’s Executive Director, at (207) 598-7149 or to jrodriguez@manomaine.org.
USDA NONDISCRIMINATION STATEMENT
In accordance with Federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, the USDA, its Agencies, offices, and employees, and institutions participating in or administering USDA programs are prohibited from discriminating based on race, color, national origin, sex, disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity in any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA.
Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for program information (e.g. Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language, etc.), should contact the Agency (State or local) where they applied for benefits. Individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing or have speech disabilities may contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339. Additionally, program information may be made available in languages other than English.
To file a program complaint of discrimination, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, (AD-3027) found online at: http://www.ascr.usda.gov/complaint_filing_cust.html, and at any USDA office, or write a letter addressed to USDA and provide in the letter all of the information requested in the form. To request a copy of the complaint form, call (866) 632-9992. Submit your completed form or letter to USDA by:
(1) mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights
1400 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, D.C. 20250-9410;
(2) fax: (202) 690-7442
(3) email: program.intake@usda.gov.
This institution is an equal opportunity provider.
