Dear Friends,

We need your help to provide urgently needed support for several of our programs. The winter months are especially difficult for farmworkers. The work hours are limited which impacts their ability to purchase food and other necessities. We see a dramatic increase in the number of people requesting food support during these months. Our winter programs help to minimize the isolation experienced by the farmworkers. English classes, hot meals and other organized activities are offered each Sunday. We need your help to continue to do this.

Your support will also help us to deliver the vital youth programming that is going on all year. Homework Club, YOLOS (Young Outstanding Latina Organization) and the Boys Club all need help to continue. We are offering the children as many opportunities to thrive as other children in the community.

Warwick Area Farmworker Organization is also preparing for the holdiays. Delivering hot meals to single men and opening our Christmas Store for families who have limited money to spend on gifts is our current focus.

Finally, even though it is November, we are preparation for the summer programming for the children of farmworkers living in our area. The Dulce Esperanza, Sweet Hope-named by the parents, is facing rising costs this year. While we are in the first weeks of our summer program, it is clear that we need your assistance in raising the money to close big gaps in our budget. The children and the families we serve are dependent on this seven- week program. It provides important services that would otherwise be missing. Here are some of the ways your support will help us:

• We provide care for 90 children-Monday through Friday for Seven weeks
• These children would be home alone if not for our program
• Each summer, we feed 9,500 meals and snacks to the children
• Our program includes an academic focus each morning which has improved some of the markers for reading by 22% last year
• We are continuing this focus each morning this summer
• Each day the children have art, dancing or other enrichment activities that they would normally not have the opportunity to do
• Most children are able to go on day trips or have a vacation but our children do not have this opportunity
• A field trip to the Liberty Science Center is planned but this all is dependent on your support
• Changes in our costs to run this program have impacted our ability to offer this program and the services we can provide to these families. Our insurance, cost for food and most importantly the busing costs have made it challenging to meet the needs of our summer program.

Please consider a donation to help us continue to offer these essential programs for the children. Offering the parents the comfort in knowing their children are safe and cared for during the day while they work.

You can donate to our GoFundMe Fundraiser at: https://gofund.me/b24baf66

Thank you for your support,

Kathy Brieger
Executive Director, Warwick Area Farmworkers Organization