The donations will benefit migrant workers visiting New Jersey for the blueberry harvest this summer and their families.
Volunteers with Migrant Worker Outreach have a mission of welcoming migrant workers and their families to South Jersey during the blueberry harvest in June and July. Since 2010, year-round residents of South Jersey have donated generously to the MWO clothing drive. Six thousand Hispanic and Haitian workers who come to New Jersey for the blueberry harvest are only in the area for seven or eight weeks each summer.
“We collect more than just clothing for migrant workers and their families,” said Dory Dickson, co-founder and director of Migrant Worker Outreach. “You can visit our website and scan down to the high lighted section to read our list of requested items. Besides clothing, linens, yoga mats and five gallon plastic buckets, there are a few new requests this year: colorful cotton bandanas and swim suites for youth ages five through seventeen.”
For the past several years, MWO placed collection boxes at area libraries. This year, donor will have to set up an appointment by phone to meet with the MWO collection vehicle in the parking lots of locations listed below.
“Items will not be accepted until they have been inspected,” Dickson said. “MWO does not have space or manpower to accept items we cannot use. When you call to set an appointment, you can discuss any items you are interested in donating but which are not on our website request list. We also do occasional home pick ups.”
MWO will be collecting donations on the following Saturdays at these locations:
· April 29 — Medford town wide yard sale at Freedom Park, 86 Union Street, in Medford.
· May 6 — Burlington County Library, 5 Pioneer Boulevard in Westampton
· May 13 — Moorestown Library, 111 West 2nd Street in Moorestown
· May 20 — Cherry Hill Public Library’s community yard sale, 1100 Kings Highway North in Cherry Hill
· May 27 — Mt. Laurel Library, 100 Walt Whitman Avenue in Mt. Laurel
· June 3 — Evesham Library, 984 Tuckerton Road in Marlton.
Call Dickson at (609) 969–2480 to set up an appointment to bring in your donations.
