Linda Martinez, United Farm Workers coordinator, speaks to island residents via Zoom during an information session at Northern Marianas College on Sunday, Oct. 15.
The information session held on Friday, Oct. 15 at Northern Marianas College informed residents that they could avail themselves of $600 under the USDA’s Farm and Food Workers Relief Program.
AT an information session at Northern Marianas College on Sunday, Oct. 15, Linda Martinez of the United Farm Workers or UFW in California invited island residents to take part in the Farm and Food Workers Relief Program, which will distribute $600 to farm workers affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.
The UFW is a farm workers union that advocates for the rights of farm laborers across America.
Martinez on Sunday said through their activism, the U.S. Department of Agriculture allocated funds for the Farm and Food Workers Relief Program.
She said the USDA is in charge of the program, but her organization will help farm workers apply to receive $600.
The USDA will mail a debit card containing the funds to qualifying applicants, Martinez said.
She said on Sunday, Oct. 22, UFW and its partners at NMC-CREESs will host a workshop to assist farm workers with the application process.
The workshop will be held on an appointment basis from 9 a.m. to 12 noon in Building J-15 at NMC.
The information session on Sunday, Oct. 15 was attended by 26 people, and appointment slots were quickly filled. Call NMC-CREES at (670) 234-3276 for more information.
To qualify, individuals must be first-time applicants; they were frontline farm workers working in the CNMI who engaged in farming and/or livestock activities between Jan. 27, 2020 to May 11, 2023; and they incurred expenses due to the pandemic, to include purchasing face masks, hand sanitizer, or they incurred loss of income due to contracting Covid-19. Receipts of purchase are not required to qualify for the program.
Martinez said applicants must bring proof of employment, proof of identity, and proof of address when they attend the application workshop on Oct. 22.
Martinez said proof of employment can be a W2 form, a paystub, or a work visa. She also said “many farm workers get paid in cash” and as such, may not have work documentation. However, she said in such cases, workers and their employers can create a signed employment letter, which states the type of labor the worker performed on the farm; the name of the company; the name of the employer; the timeframe during the pandemic when the employee was working; and the rate the employee was paid.
Proof of identity can take the form of a CNMI I.D., some kind of government or consulate I.D., or an employee I.D.
For proof of address, Martinez said applicants can submit a bill or an I.D., which states the applicant’s address.
Martinez said immigration status has no effect on one’s eligibility.
She said all the information will be kept confidential, and UFW does not use the information outside of the application process.
Martinez said the process will be online, and applicants should bring their phones or some other electronic to apply for the program.
“We’re going to send you links when we’re doing the applications,” Martinez said. “You’re going to be receiving codes, a link to upload your documents; we’re going to show you one by one how we’re going to do it.
As for those who farm on land they own and are not agricultural employees, Martinez said they should bring “letters of compliance” from an official agency, which can certify that they are in fact farmers. In the CNMI, this agency could be the Division of Agriculture, the CNMI Farmers Cooperative Association or other related organizations.
Martinez said when applicants receive their debit cards, “you can use [them] however you want to use [them].”
