Resident Helps Mexican Farm Workers

While they were travelling one day last summer south of Montreal, TMR resident Lilia Saro and husband Ricky saw many Mexican men working in the farm fields. Sometimes they would stop by the side of the road and just say: “Hola” and “Como estas?” (How are you?).

Later they stopped at a retail store and started to chat with a few of them. When they were saying that the price of clothing was a bit too expensive for them, Lilia, a native Mexican, and Ricky decided to do something.

They told the Mexicans that they would return the next week with free clothing in their mini-van outside of a supermarket in St-Remi. Soon after, the news spread by word-of-mouth among the few thousand farm workers who would flock to their vehicle each Thursday evening – the time they had free to do their weekly shopping. Many Guatemalans and Salvadorans also come north to work in the many farms in the area.

“For me, it’s to help my country in that way,” said Saro in a recent interview. In the past few years, she has travelled to the southern regions of her country – the poorest – to deliver school supplies and toys to children there.

“When we gave away the toys, there weren’t many men because they go to work in other places (such as the American Southwest, Ontario, and British Columbia)”. Once here, they send most of their earnings back to their families, which is sometimes the only revenue they receive in a year. “The response has always been very appreciative,” she added.

During the local harvest season (May to October), they perform back-breaking work in the fields, earning about $8.25 an hour. Their work starts at 6 am and often goes well into the evening during busy times. As part of a Canadian-Mexican accord, the men must be married to discourage those who may seek permanent work here.

Staying several months here, the men naturally become a little homesick. Saro made tapes of the music of two of her country’s biggest acts – Luis Miguel and Los Tigres del Norte – as well as traditional Mariachi bands – “very sad music that reminds them of their families back home.”

In 2006, Saro and her partner drove down weekly for about three months with their own donations as well as those from friends and work colleagues - from Johnson & Johnson and Kuehne & Nagel, one of the world’s largest warehousing firms, respectively.

For their efforts, the farm workers sometimes give them heads of lettuce or baskets of tomatoes and invite them to their masses.

This year, the local couple started in May. However, they’re now running a bit low on donations. They’re asking local people and groups to take a look in their closets for used clothing and toys. During the early fall, they find our weather cold and many need coats to work. If you have anything to give, call 514-342-6960 or contact sarolilia@hotmail.com