DELTA, Ohio — Nearly 80 migrant workers were fully vaccinated against COVID-19 on Wednesday afternoon in an effort to protect those who harvest our food.
The Farm Labor Organizing Committee clinic visited the location where they work, breaking barriers and giving them no excuse not to get the vaccine due to availability.
The dozens of migrant workers lined up at Nature Fresh Farms in Delta to get their second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.
"We thank God for the opportunity he gives us to work here in the United States, to work for this company Nature Fresh," said Cayetano Lopez, translated from Spanish.
Lopez is a migrant worker from Honduras.
He says he's grateful for the chance to work at Nature Fresh Farms and to FLOC for his second dose of the vaccine.
"Their being migrant workers, they have no stability in terms of access to local medical facilities, medical care," explained Baldemar Velasquez, the president of FLOC.
Plus they have to work - and in some cases live - in close proximity to others.
It's a lifestyle they're willing to deal with in order to better themselves while here on a work visa.
"We come to work and to move forward and to be able to move our family forward," said Lopez. "And to be able to give our children a better education and to get out, because our country's economy is poor."
But Velasquez says there's no reason they shouldn't be prioritized. He acknowledged them as the main reason there is food on our tables.
"It's very hard, you know. Most people when they sit down, they eat and they think their food is harvested by the Jolly Green Giant or some other fictional character on TV and commercials. And so, these are the real people that harvest our food," said Velasquez.
For Lopez, his reason for being fully vaccinated is to stop the spread of COVID-19 and prevent others from losing their lives.
"The virus isn't easy. Because besides everything, it's a deadly virus, and it's an opportunity that has been given to us, to be here at the company and be thankful to the company," said Lopez.
FLOC begin its efforts in a partnership with CommunityCare Clinic to vaccinate as many people as possible back in January.
Their target community includes minorities and migrant workers.
The group says they will continue those efforts to create easier access to the vaccine.