This past December and January, Mónica Segura-Schwartz, LEDC Business Consultant, carried out a project with the goal of giving warm, high quality outerwear to agricultural workers in Central Minnesota who spend the majority of their long workdays outside.
The initiative was sponsored by a grant from Greater Minneapolis Community Connections (GMCC), which provided 100 baskets of food (distributed in December, 2020) and 50 full sets of work outerwear including jackets, overalls, and boots. Due to logistical problems with distribution at the time, LEDC wasn’t able to deliver the clothing until January. According to Mónica, in the end it was a good thing because prices became discounted, meaning more agricultural workers–66 in all–got clothes.
The program turned out to be very popular within the community. “The workers told us it was the first time they had received any kind of benefit. They were extremely grateful for the quality of the material and to have adequate boots for the kind of work they do,” said Mónica, whose work is focused on a special project designed to bring resources to Central Minnesotans, with support from the Initiative Foundation and a grant from the Center for Disaster Philanthropy (CDP).
To distribute the clothes, LEDC also had collaboration from the St. Cloud and Alexandria Fleet Farm stores. “Both Fleet Farm managers were very helpful. At both stores we ran out of insulated overalls and work jackets in smaller sizes, which tend to be more popular with Latino workers,’ Mónica said.
For Mónica, who used word of mouth and engaged local leaders to help get word out about the project, one of the biggest challenges was “coordinating with the workers to find a time they could come to the stores, since many don’t have their own transportation and work rotating 10-12 hour a day schedules, sometimes at night. Furthermore, their rotations mean that while they have one day off every 8 to 10 days, they might only have a full weekend off once a month.”
The workers were also interested in opportunities for professional growth, such as learning more about agriculture and farm equipment. “This project also gave us the opportunity to learn more about what agricultural workers in Central Minnesota need, and the love they have for their work. They love being out in the field,” Mónica added.
