Caravan of supplies travels from San Jose to Salinas for farmworker relief

SALINAS, Calif. (KION) A caravan of about 80 trucks and cars drove from San Jose to Salinas on Saturday to drop off donations for local farmworkers.

“I think a lot of people forget that the farmworkers are the ones that pick all the food, and basically they are the ones feeding America,” caravan participant Delfina Shoane said. “For me, I’ve seen them out in the fields and they’re out there from morning until night.”

The vehicles unloaded the supplies outside Alisal Community School. The event was organized by State Senator Anna Caballero and Assemblymember Robert Rivas.

“There’s everything—it’s like soaps, it’s diapers, it’s shampoos, it’s food,” Caballero said.

All of the supplies will be donated in the coming days and weeks to local farmworkers.

"We have many, many people that are out of work, and then we have a number of people that are essential workers but that don’t make a lot of money and that need some help as well," Caballero said.

Many participants said that farmworkers are out in the fields for long hours. So when they finally get to the store at night, there might not be any essentials, like toilet paper, left.

"A way to tell them—let them know—that they are not alone," caravan participant Celina Rodriguez said. "That, in the city, we care for them."