CENTER – On Aug. 4, the San Luis Valley Agricultural Coalition hosted its eighth annual appreciation barbecue and resource fair for anyone in the agriculture industry – ag workers, farmers and ranchers – at Casa Blanca Park in Center.
The event was child friendly, and featured the parks' splash pads for kids to cool off in. There was a myriad of booths at the park with information to help people working in the ag industry.
Tu Casa, Los Promotores del Valle de San Luis, the Migrant Education Program of Colorado Department of Education, the Migrant Farm Worker Division of Colorado Legal Services, the Colorado Department of Public Health, the Center for Health Work and Environment, and Rio Grande County Public Health were all represented at the event.
Roberta Marquez, who is a Health Equity Specialist with Rio Grande Public Health, talked about what the county can offer.
“We have a lot of assistance to offer agricultural workers,” she said. “We can offer immunizations. We offer medical insurance coverage. We even help families with infant car seats if they need them. We are all about uniting families and helping them. We like to help our agricultural workers. There is a variety of services and resources that we can offer. We can help people get connected to behavioral health and counseling.”
Marquez said they also have educational programs and community health assessments.
Many of the organizations gave out trail mix bags, tote bags, water bottles, free COVID test kits, clothing, hygiene items, and much more.
Approximately, 200 people attended the event. Gus Martinez, of the San Luis Valley Agriculture Coalition, was cooking hamburgers and said he was happy with the turn out.
“It’s been a good day. A lot of our agricultural workers turned out for this barbecue, and we are happy to serve them and thank them for all the hard work that they do,” he said.
