BRADENTON HERALD

August 10, 2006

Church fills need at farms

LAURA FIGUEROA

Herald Staff Writer

MANATEE - Managing a tomato farm for Taylor and Fulton, Ken Robertson started to recognize the needs of his workers.

Did they have spare clothes, aside from the sweat-soiled shirts and pants they wore to work? Were they able to afford school supplies and the occasional treat for their children?

To meet the needs, Robertson's church, Kingdom Life Christian Church, formed an outreach program called "Planting the Seed of the Kingdom in the Hearts of Farmworkers."

Saturday, church members will distribute free clothing and children's school supplies to farmworker families at the Taylor-Fulton Packing House in Palmetto. The group will also provide a barbecue for the families.

"It was just something that the Lord laid on our heart," said Pastor Don Sturiano with Kingdom Life, on what prompted the project.

The church, which was formed in February 2006 and meets 10:30 a.m. Sunday at the Holiday Inn Riverfront hotel in Bradenton, is comprised of about 40 members from Parrish, Palmetto and Bradenton.

"It's absolutely wonderful when you see a church within the local community addressing the needs of their area," said Jay Taylor, president of Taylor and Fulton Farms. "Sometimes groups focus their attention and efforts on more national issues, but this group is doing something with such a direct impact on a needy community in our own area."

Lexie Taylor, director of Manatee Religious Services, recognizes the need for migrant outreach efforts. It was not too long ago that church groups would stop at Manatee Religious Services' warehouse to load up on donated supplies, from bread to toothpaste, to distribute among migrant farmworker camps in Manatee.

"There really is such a growing need," Lexie Taylor said. "It's a growing population in our community that we really need to address, and address it well."

Though the church has only been in existence six months, this will be the second time they have coordinated such an outreach. Their first effort, in April, attracted about 100 workers, said churchgoer Jacquie Straitwell.

Straitwell's garage is filled with boxes of donated clothes, many still with the tags on, to distribute to the farmworkers Saturday.

"I went out to the farm when the tomatoes were ready to be picked," Straitwell said of the trip she took to make herself aware of the plight of farmworkers. "I watched the workers, and they worked non-stop. . . . Whether they're illegal or not, I'm not sure that matters so much. These are really hardworking people, and they deserve the chance to have help."