2024 Warwick Area Farmworker Org-Dulce Esperanza

Dear Friends,

The Warwick Area Farmworker Organization provides support to farmworkers and their families in Orange County New York. Our programs include Girls and Boys groups, homework club, ESL and social support services. The winter program reaches over 30 people with needed ESL, lunch and other classes. The most urgent need now is support for the summer program. We are planning now for the summer.

We need your help to provide support for our summer program-named Dulce Esperanza (Sweet Hope) by the parents. We provide transportation to the summer program for the students but this year we are not able to do this due to funding issues. The parents and children depend on this seven week program but lack the ability to provide transportation. We need your help in supporting the busing costs for the children.

• We provide care for 90 children-Monday through Friday for Seven weeks

• These children would be home alone if not for our program

• Each summer, we provide 9,500 meals and snacks to the children

• Our program includes an academic focus each morning which has improved some of the markers for reading by 25% last year

• Each day the children have art, dancing or other enrichment activities that they would normally not have the opportunity to do

• Most children are able to go on day trips or have a vacation but our children do not have this opportunity

• Changes in our costs to run this program have impacted our ability to offer this program and the services we can provide to these families. Our insurance, cost for food and most importantly the busing costs have made it challenging to meet the needs of our summer program.

Please consider a donation to help us continue to offer these essential programs for the children. Offering the parents the comfort in knowing their children are safe and cared for during the day while they work.

Thank you for your support. Kathy