Food and Farmworker Relief

Starting in 2023, Mano en Mano has proudly supported thousands of farmworkers in applying for and receiving essential financial relief through the USDA’s Food and Farmworker Relief (FFWR) Grant Program. 

With  support from PASA Sustainable Agriculture and the Hispanic Federation, we completed 2,414 successful applications and distributed a total of $1,448,400 directly to farmworkers across Maine and beyond.

The FFWR Program, launched by the USDA, provided a one-time $600 relief payment to frontline farm, grocery, and meatpacking workers who incurred pandemic-related expenses. These funds recognize the vital contributions of essential food system workers and aim to offset some of the financial burdens they carried throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, especially since many workers did not qualify for federal support.

To ensure farmworkers were aware of and able to access the FFWR program, Mano en Mano’s outreach team traveled extensively across Maine, visiting farmworker housing, labor camps, packing houses, and rural communities. Our staff worked evenings, weekends, and traveled hundreds of miles to reach workers where they were — from the blueberry barrens of Washington County to the potato fields of Aroostook and the salmon farms of the coast.

Our mobile outreach model and trusted presence in the community ensured that even those with limited access to technology or transportation could still benefit from this critical resource. Our team provided one-on-one support in Spanish, English, Haitian Creole, and other languages, helping workers gather documentation, understand the application process, and complete their submissions.

We received positive feedback from farmworks expressing:

“This support will help me pay for groceries, gas, and clothes and other things my children need.”

And:

“This support means alot. It feels like we (farmworkers) are almost always forgotten and this will help a lot.”

As well as: 

“This is the first time there has been a program for us” (meat cutter)

This work is part of Mano en Mano’s long-standing commitment to ensuring that farmworkers and immigrant families in Maine have the resources, support, and information they need to thrive. Whether it's navigating government programs, accessing education, or finding community, we are here to walk alongside the people we serve.

Gracias to all who made this effort possible — and to every farmworker who applied, thank you for all that you do and the vibrancy you bring to our communities.