{"id":379874,"date":"2026-06-29T22:54:19","date_gmt":"2026-06-29T22:54:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/379874\/"},"modified":"2026-06-29T22:54:19","modified_gmt":"2026-06-29T22:54:19","slug":"bikes-toys-and-glasses-for-farmworker-families-tacos-and-music-for-donors-the-mercury-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/379874\/","title":{"rendered":"Bikes, toys and glasses for farmworker families; tacos and music for donors \u2013 The Mercury News"},"content":{"rendered":"

Editor\u2019s note: This story is part of the annual Mosaic Journalism Program for Bay Area high school students, an intensive course in journalism. Students in the program report and photograph stories under the guidance of professional journalists.<\/p>\n

Music, food and local vendors brought energy to History Park on June 16 as members of the community gathered for the Farmworker Caravan Taco Tuesday.<\/p>\n

While visitors enjoyed coffee, live music and sales of crafts such as handmade earrings and\u00a0 greeting cards, the event\u2019s mission was to attract donations and supplies to support and recognize farmworker families.<\/p>\n

\"SanSan Jose firefighters donate bicycles during a Taco Tuesday collection drive for farmworkers at History Park in San Jose. (J.R. McMinn\/Mosaic)\u00a0<\/p>\n

One of Farmworker Caravan\u2019s priorities is to improve coordination between service providers.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat we\u2019re trying to do right now is coordinate all these health and medical and wellness organizations,\u201d Darlene Tenes, the event\u2019s founder, said.\u00a0 \u201cSome do mental health, some do medical health, some do only hearing or vision. Nobody has had a coordinated schedule. We want to bring all these organizations together so they can reach more people.\u201d<\/p>\n

Farmworkers are often called the backbone of the country\u2019s food system, yet their stories frequently go unheard. Through the Farmworker Caravan, community members may support farmworker families and recognize the challenges they face.<\/p>\n

Tenes, of San Jose, said the Farmworker Caravan\u2019s event was focused on collecting donations for farmworker families such as bicycles, eyeglasses and toys.<\/p>\n

\"DonatedDonated eyeglasses fill a box during a Taco Tuesday collection drive for farmworkers at History Park in San Jose. (J.R. McMinn\/Mosaic)\u00a0<\/p>\n

Although Farmworker Caravan does not provide health services directly, it works closely with organizations that do. Among them are the Lions Club, Salud Para La Gente and Catholic Charities. Representatives of the Lions Club attended the event to collect eyeglasses and share information about services available for farmworkers.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey don\u2019t have any opportunity to go to the eye doctor,\u201d Tenes said. \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of people that don\u2019t have insurance, not just farmworkers. The farmworkers mostly do not have any insurance at all.\u201d<\/p>\n

To help address those needs, the Lions Club operates a mobile unit that provides vision, dental and hearing screenings, bringing services directly to communities that may have limited access to care.<\/p>\n

Tenes said that farmworkers continue to face a wide range of difficulties, such as extremely low wages, the threat of deportation, housing instability and language barriers, since some of them speak indigenous languages neither English nor Spanish as their primary language. She said these struggles become even more severe during times when food production slows, making it harder for families to meet their basic needs.<\/p>\n

\"SanSan Jose firefighters assemble a bicycle for donation at the Taco Tuesday collection drive for farmworkers at History Park in San Jose. (J.R. McMinn\/Mosaic)\u00a0<\/p>\n

Among the volunteers at the event was Julieta Tzul, 19, who was helping to sell items handmade by Tenes to raise funds for the farmworkers. Besides earrings and custom greeting cards, Tzul also was selling hot chocolate made from a recipe created by Tenes. Tzul described the items as something people might buy themselves for a little self-love or to give as gifts.<\/p>\n

For Tzul, volunteering is more than just fundraising.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a very caring environment,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s definitely somewhere where you feel like you don\u2019t need to impress anyone and everybody is equal.\u201d<\/p>\n

Next to Tzul was Maria Perez, 52, another volunteer at the event. Perez was displaying mercado bags, candles, tumblers and succulent gardens that were being gifted to people who donated to sponsor one or more farmworkers.<\/p>\n

\u201cI usually do the tamales in the winter time,\u201d she said, referring to another Farmworker Caravan fundraiser. \u201cMy mom does the cooking, so I volunteer,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

For Perez, the most rewarding part of volunteering is seeing the impact it has.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy favorite part is when you do stuff like that, it warms you,\u201d she said. \u201cIt makes you happy, and you know that you\u2019re helping make somebody smile. You can make a difference for somebody.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tenes also highlighted the importance of educating people about farmworkers and their life experiences.<\/p>\n

\u201cEverything that we eat has been touched by them,\u201d she said. \u201cThere is not a single person who isn\u2019t connected to agriculture.\u201d<\/p>\n

One of the moments that has stayed with Tenes throughout her years of advocacy involves conversations with farmworkers about sexual assault in the workplace. One agency that Farmworker Caravan partners with, Salud Para La Gente, which is based in Watsonville, provides health services for the survivors. Tenes said the agency connects farmworkers with services, which helps a broader community.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were doing it for the campesinos,\u201d Tenes said, using the Spanish word for farmworkers. \u201cBut it is going to help more people too.\u201d<\/p>\n

The message Taco Tuesdays and its volunteers and supporters want to send to the farmworkers, she said, is simply: \u201cWe appreciate you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ashlin Sanchez is a member of the class of 2028 at San Jose High School. J.R. McMinn is a member of the class of 2027 at Del Mar High School in San Jose.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

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