DADE CITY, Fla. — This week marks National Farmworker Awareness Week, which is a time to shine a light on the contributions farmworkers make to the agricultural industry.

What You Need To Know

  • Farmworker awareness week runs from March 25-31
  • Farmworkers Self-Help in Dade City has been supporting farmworkers for more than 40 years
  • Margarita Romo is the founder of the nonprofit organization
  • Romo says they’ve expanded their help in health, education and support

One organization in Dade City has served farmers for four decades.

Farmworkers Self-Help in Dade City has continued to support farmworkers in the area for more than 40 years. Since then, a lot has changed, but their mission to give back is still the same today.

Margarita Romo jokingly describes herself as the officer on duty at this food pantry.

“I feel like the police sometimes because I got to be careful to make sure there’s enough food for this time and enough food for the next time,” she said.

As the founder of Farmworkers Self-Help, Romo is at the pantry every Thursday, no matter how early it opens.

A partnership with the Rez house allows them to serve food to farm working families and those who may need groceries.

“Today we can serve 150 families every Thursday and know that we’ve done something good for someone else,” she said.

A good deed is what started it all for Romo, but it also came with loss.

“Norma Godinez died before she was 5 and she was a very dear little friend of mine," she said. "I used to go to the farmworker camps and read Bible stories and sing songs to the children."

Godinez was the child of farmworkers. Her family didn’t have health insurance, and they also didn’t speak English.

Based on that experience, Romo wanted to do something for people in a similar situation.

According to the Association of Farmworker opportunity programs, farmworkers pick 85% of the country's fresh fruits and vegetables.

Romo said her organization is their helping hand. They have a building dedicated to teaching life skills to the workers’ children.

“We’ve put a lot of kids in college," she said. "A lot of our kids have come back to help now."

Across the street, a church also sits for families to gather, and most recently, a clinic opened to help families who don’t have health insurance.

With the basics covered, Romo is looking ahead.

“This place will change, maybe not in my lifetime because I’m 88 already, but it’s going to change,” she said.

The organization’s next expansion will include a school for kindergarten through eighth grade.