The Pine Island Chamber of Commerce recognized two of the youth members of the Warwick Area Farmworker Organization for their volunteer work this past week. Luis Andrade and Leslie Leal  were recognized by the Chamber for their volunteer service over the last year within the Pine Island New York community. Both of the award recipients are Warwick Valley Central School District Juniors and attend the Warwick Valley High School. They both also are past WAFO program participants and over the last year have been volunteering in the programs to give back to the community by helping other young people and adults in the programs.

Leslie Leal volunteers each summer to work with the WAFO Dulce Esperanza Summer Enrichment Program. She has assisted the teachers and special program organizer Claire Gabelman. Leslie has become an invaluable member of the Dulce Educational EnrichmentTeam.

Luis Andrade volunteered at the Alamo Community Center in Goshen NY, providing assistance in delivering hot meals during this past winter as part of the WAFO’s Food Assistance Program team, assisting with the food pantry and helping to support program activities in the ALAMO. His help was very important in serving the farmworker community during the long winter months where food insecurity in the farmworker community was further exasperated by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

The Chamber award was presented by Paul Ruszkiewicz who is the Orange County Legislator for District 3 of Orange County NY (a district that includes Pine Island NY). Mr.  Ruszkiewicz is also a member of the Pine Island Chamber of Commerce and comes from a long line of farmers who have worked the fields of Pine Island for close to a century.

Congratulations to Leslie and Luis on this great accomplishment– we are all so proud of you and thank you for your service to the migrant farmworker community, as well as, the surrounding PIne Island NY community!