A packed church hall served up dinner and gratitude to the migrant workers who keep Niagara-on-the-Lake growing.
More than 100 migrant farm workers and Spanish-speaking locals filled the church hall on Davy Street on June 1 after the Spanish-language Mass at St. Vincent de Paul Church.
The free supper, run by the parish’s Society of St. Vincent de Paul, aims to thank the migrant farmworkers on whom NOTL’s agricultural economy relies.
“We just want to say thank you and make sure they have an opportunity to come together and celebrate and be recognized,” said Cynthia Fuller, president of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul.
The Niagara region receives more than 4,000 seasonal agricultural workers each year, about half of them Spanish-speaking.
Founded during the pandemic, the society runs food drives, delivers welcome baskets to bunkhouses and helps with emergency utility payments. Supplies come from parish fundraisers, regional seed money and donations of food and clothing.
“These dinners started as just providing a hot meal and have evolved into a community event,” said Fuller.
Fuller said attendance at the dinners has doubled since the society took over running the event last year.
“We usually also like to make enough so people can take a second meal because some people don’t have dinner for the next day,” said Rebecca Golding, one of the volunteer cooks at the dinner.
Jennifer Pothier, the society’s former executive director, said the parish held similar meals for years before the society took over.
“It’s a way of us being able to do something, but it also helps them integrate more into the community, so they don’t feel like they’re on the outside,” said Pothier.
Western University sociologist Dr. Kristin Lozanski has called NOTL “unique” for its grassroots migrant support network, such as the society’s dinners, Bikes for Farmworkers and the Niagara Migrant Workers Interest Group’s social, legal and health services.
“We wouldn’t have what we have in Canada in our food industry if we didn’t have migrant workers,” said Pothier.
NOTL resident Melina Ritchie attended the supper after the Spanish-language Mass to show appreciation for the workers.
“It is hard for them to come to another country where they don’t speak the language. We really appreciate everything they do here for the community,” said Ritchie.
