By Emily Neelon |
I’m standing in an orchard, biting into the best apple I’ve ever tasted, as juice runs down my chin and dirt cakes my work boots. The sun struggles to peek out behind an expanse of grey clouds as I breathe the sweet smell of apples, fresh air filling my lungs. There’s nowhere else I’d rather be.
The six days I spent during Fall Break on the Rural Immersion with the Moreau Center educated me about the agriculture industry and the migrant farm workers who labor within it.
Through visits to various farms, distribution warehouses and non-profit organizations in the Yakima Valley, my eyes were opened to the physically demanding work required to get food from the fields to our refrigerators. Moreover, I learned about the struggles and accomplishments of migrant workers, who face many social, economic and governmental challenges in their quest for employment in a new country.
Each trip our van took down the dirt roads of rural Washington opened my eyes to a different aspect of the highly complex agricultural industry and the community of people it employs.
Stories of entrepreneurship during times of racism and war at Inaba Farms taught me about perseverance in the face of adversity. My exchanges in broken Spanish with Maria at Nuestra Casa, an organization teaching English classes to immigrants, revealed to me the power of nonverbal communication.
The 19,941 pounds of produce I helped package at Northwest Harvest, a nonprofit food bank distributor, catalyzed a determination within me to end hunger. And with an armful of colorful peppers and acres of farmland stretching out all around me at Alvarez Farms, I learned what true passion is.
As I become immersed once again in the suffocating stress of sophomore year, I fight to hold onto the lessons I learned in those fields: passion, generosity, perseverance and an incredible defiance to the societal constraints of life.
My entire perspective on food has changed and I can now comprehend the blessing of having it so readily available to me. Next time you’re walking down the aisles of Fred Meyer, think twice about the produce you’re putting into your grocery cart. I know I will.
Emily Neelon is a sophomore communication studies major. She can be reached at neelon17@up.edu or on Twitter @Neelonsays.
