“Improving the lives of farmworkers since 2004”
‘Vecinos’ is the Spanish word for ‘neighbors’. The Vecinos are an active ‘neighborhood’ nonprofit that advocates and provides support to farm workers in Western North Carolina. Farmworkers, especially in the predominantly rural areas that exist in WNC, face tremendous barriers and are one of the most vulnerable populations in the state of North Carolina. North Carolina is the sixth highest state for number of migrant farm workers in the country yet the reality is that most of general public are not aware of the contributions to not only our food system but North Carolinas economy from migrant farm workers. The vecinos work to improve the lives of farmworkers in North Carolina by acting as a resource for them to help meet their most basic needs. Such services exist to alleviate the burden of the difficulties this population faces and range from Improving access to health care, providing health education, access and linkages to community resources, and providing services they need to live a better quality of life.
It is very common for these workers to be overlooked in terms of access to health care services, transportation, education, etc. and by providing resources right where the target population is through a mobile medical clinic it greatly improves their chance of obtaining the health care and services needed. For many farm workers that work in rural areas, they are less likely to have reliable transportation and access to affordable health care, and are often overlooked because of their working status. The Vecinos work to ensure that farmworkers are given equitable protection under the law and advocate for the recognition of all farmworkers in their communities. The Vecinos serve over 650 patients in five different counties including Macon, Jackson, Swain, Haywood, and Transylvania.
Website for Vecinos Inc.