Migrant Worker Outreach helps migrant workers and their families as they arrive to the South Jersey area for the summer blueberry harvest.
Volunteers with Migrant Worker Outreach (MWO) are once again looking for clothing and other requested items to help welcome migrant workers and their families to the South Jersey area as they arrive for the blueberry harvest in June and July.
According to Dory Dickson, co-founder and director of Migrant Worker Outreach, six thousand Hispanic and Haitian workers who come to New Jersey for the blueberry harvest each summer and are only in the area for seven or eight weeks.
Since 2010, Dickson said residents of South Jersey have donated generously to the MWO clothing drive year-round.
“We collect more than just clothing for migrant workers and their families,” Dickson said. “You can visit our website and scan down to the high lighted section to read our list of requested items. Besides clothing, linens, yoga mats and five gallon plastic buckets, there are a few new requests this year: colorful cotton bandanas and swim suites for youth ages five through seventeen.”
Although MWO has placed drive collection boxes at area libraries for the past several years, this year there will be no collection boxes at those locations.
Instead, donors must set up an appointment by phone to meet the MWO collection vehicle in the parking lots of the locations listed below.
“Items will not be accepted until they have been inspected. MWO does not have space or manpower to accept items we cannot use,” Dickson said. “When you call to set an appointment, you can discuss any items you are interested in donating but which are not on our website request list. We also do occasional home pick ups.”
Those interested in donating can Dickson at (609) 969–2480 to set up an appointment to bring in donations on the following Saturdays at the following sites:
· April 29 — Medford’s Town-wide Yard Sale, Freedom Park, 86 Union St., Medford.
· May 6 — Burlington County Main Library, 5 Pioneer Blvd, Westampton.
· May 13 — Moorestown Library, 111 W Second St., Moorestown.
· May 20 — Cherry Hill Library, Community-wide Yard Sale, 1100 Kings Hwy N, Cherry Hill.
· May 27 — Mt. Laurel Library, 100 Walt Whitman Ave, Mt Laurel.
· June 3 — Evesham Library, 984 Tuckerton Road, Marlton.
To learn more about items requested by MWO, visit www.migrantworkeroutreach.org.
