Much has been written about the plight of the migrant
workers of North East Florida. Recently, several news segments were devoted to
them as well. It seems so far away from Mandarin. But in reality these men and
women are living in camps very close to us.
These camps are located in small rural towns southwest of St. Augustine. Their life
is extremely hard. Most have very few possessions. Their “room and board”
provides only 1 hot meal a day, Monday thru Saturday. They receive no food on
Sunday, They have no health care. If
they ever feel too sick to work in the fields, they must forgo the meal because
they only receive food if they work. Their rooms are sparse, (unheated, and no
air conditioning). Many have only outside bathroom facilities. Most have no
showers. Many find that they have been “tricked” into the life by promises of a
good job with lots of benefits. The story that follows is about Mandarin Food
Bank’s introduction to the migrant workers and how we became so dedicated to
them.
There was a very special angel who took care of the migrant
workers living in camps near St.
Augustine. This
very elderly lady decided that it was her mission to care for these forgotten
men and women. Working with St. Francis House in St. Augustine, she visited the camps several
times a year. During these visits she
would try to help in small but important ways to make their lives a little
better. She really made an effort at Christmas time to make sure that each one
had a gift and a heartfelt greeting of Merry Christmas. But her health was poor
and she knew that soon she would be unable to make the visits.
The last Christmas that she knew she would go, she wanted to
give something that would not only be useful, but also very special. She decided on work boots. The workers at St.
Francis House told her that it would be impossible to get all the sizes for
her. So she went to the camps herself
and on her knees before each man, she traced his feet on brown paper and then
wrote his name beside it. That Christmas
was a very joyful one for everyone involved, especially the angel who made it
happen.
Shortly after that Christmas, a parishioner of St. Joseph told us the
story of the women and asked if we could take over her mission. We started slowly because our ministry was so
new and we were not sure of how much we could handle. We collected shoeboxes and covered them with
Christmas wrap and stuffed them with items like new socks, deodorant,
toothpaste and brush, soap, shampoo, and pop-top snacks. We delivered 300
Boxes to Carol Berg another angel who
helps the migrant workers. Carol
and her family delivered a hot meal to the migrant workers on Christmas
Day. She included our boxes when she
took the meal. A few years later, the
food bank received over 900 duffle bags. Now we could really provide a
wonderful gift too.
Our Migrant Ministry is almost 15 years old. We now visit
the camps 2 times a year, Christmas and Easter.
Now we bring the hot meal.
Carol Berg has moved from St.
Augustine but continues her dedication to these men
and women. She is our contact person and
goes with us each time we visit. May Kaminski, our
Co-Director heads up our part of the ministry. Our migrant
worker project has become her mission. She collects items during the
year to put into our bags. Every October, the volunteers host a huge
party. We stuff and store over 300
bags. It is a wonderful, joyful, and
spiritual night. We feel the real “spirit
of Christmas” before Halloween. The
packed bags are stored in the barn of a volunteer until we take them to the
camps. That visit is usually sometime in
mid December. Each time we go, we discover all over again, the love of the
Christ Child. And once again we receive
more than we ever imagined.
[ Home ] [ Client Information and
Requirements ] [ Additional
Resources for Clients ] [ Frequently
Asked Questions (FAQs) ] [ Mandarin Food Bank News and Events ] [ Needed Items (and where to find them)
] [ Building Updates ] [ Volunteer News ] [ Meet Our Volunteers ] [ How You Can Help (volunteering,
donating, etc.) ] [ The Angels Were Smiling ] [ Photo Gallery ]
Additional Resources for
Clients
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Mandarin Food Bank News
and Events
Needed Items (and where to find
them)
Building Updates
Volunteer News
Meet Our Volunteers
How You Can Help
(volunteering, donating, etc.)
The Angels Were
Smiling
Photo Gallery
Mandarin Food Bank
at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church
11730 Old St.
Augustine Road
Jacksonville, Florida
32258
(904) 292-1675