812-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, November 6, 1993
An Adopt-A-Camp get together Includes fellowship and fun.
Fruitbelt Ministry
Reaches Out To Migrants
BONNIE RRECHBILL
Franklin Co. Correspondent
CHAMBERSBURG (Franklin
Co.) The Rev. Ray Kauffman
compares the migrant farmworker
population to residchts of Third
World countries. But he ministers
to them face to face, something lo
cal churches rarely have the
chance to do with people from the
Third World.
“It’s easy to send money to
Third World countries for mis
sions. This is an opportunity to
minister at home,” Kauffman said.
“These people arc coming to our
backyard. They have a different
culture, language, and socio-eco
nomic background.”
Kauffman, 58, is the director of
Fruilbclt Farmworker Christian
Ministry, with headquarters in
Chambcrsburg. The year-round
ministry covers Franklin, Adams,
and Cumberland counties and is
supported by numerous churches
m the area.
It’s hard for Kauffman, a Unit
ed Methodist pastor since 1980, to
say exactly how many people he
and his staff reach. “The migrant
population is hard to count; every
one has a different idea,” he said.
“A good estimate is 4-5,000 in the
three-county area.”
About 2,500 live in 120 camps
Holiday fruitboxes, as pictured, are sold to help provide needs for migrant farm
workers. For mall order, send name and address and $2B for each gift pack. Make
check or money orcfer payable to FFCM and send to FrultbeH Farmworker Christian
Ministry, P.O. Box 1183, Chambersburg, PA 17201 or phone (717) 261-0448.
in the orchards; the rest have pri
vate housing. The population
peaks the week after Labor Day,
during the apple harvest, although
some migrant farmworkers arrive
earlier to pick peaches.
About 200 farmworker families
live in the area year-round, Kauff
man said. They prune trees or
work in other industries over the
winter.
About 80 percent of the farm
workers are Mexican and Puerto
Rican, with the rest coming from
Florida, the Carolinas, Georgia,
Jamaica and Haiti. Fruitbelt has
two Hispanic interpreters on its
staff, and one interpreter who
speaks both Spanish and French
Creole.
“The farmworkers are in a for
eign country and a foreign cul
ture,” Kauffman said. “We tell
them that they are not alone, that
God is with them, and that we of
the church are supportive of them.
Jesus said to go into the highways
and byways. We’re going to
where the people are.”
For about 40 years, each county
had its own committee of volun
teers who ministered to the mi
grant farmworkers. In 1989, they
came together and formed Fruit
belt, and Kauffman became its
director.
Fruilbclt is coordinated through
the Pennsylvania Council of
Churches but receives no funds
from them or from the govern
ment. The group’s major fundrais
er is selling gift boxes of fresh and
packaged fruit from local growers.
“It’s all local fruit picked by the
workers we minister to,” Kauff
man said. They sold 6SO of the
boxes last year, and expect to sell
1,000 this year.
Fruitbell’s goal is to improve
the quality of life for all persons in
the fruilbclt.
To further this goal, Kauffman
speaks to groups about Fruilbclt
and trains outreach workers. He
collects resources such as health
kits (toothbrush, toothpaste, soap,
towel, washcloth, toilet paper, ra
zors and shaving creath), blankets,
layettes, diapers, and financial
support. “When the farmworkers
come, we have to be ready,” he
said.
Fruilbclt’s most visible out
reach is the Adopt-A-Camp pro
gram, in which area churches be
friend farmworker camps for (he
season. This year, churches have
adopted 21 of the 120 camps.
Mary Cole of Fayetteville parti
cipates in the program with Fall-
(Turn to Pag* 824)
See your nearest
r\EW HOLLAMS’
Dealer for Dependable
Equipment and
ENNSYLVANIA
Annvltle, PA
BHM Farm
Equipment, Inc.
RDI, Rte. 934
717-867-2211
Carlisle. PA
R&W Equipment Co.
35 East Willow Street
717-243-2686
DavMabutfl. PA
George N. Gross, Inc.
R.D. 2, Dover, PA
717-292-1673
Elizabethtown. PA
Messick Farm
Equipment, Inc.
Rt. 283 - Rheem's Exit
717-367-1319
Halifax, PA
Sweigard Bros.
R.D. 3, Box 13
717-896-3414
Honey Brook. PA
Dependable Motor Co.
East Main Street
215-273-3131
215-273-3737
Honey Grave. PA
Norman D. Clark
& Son, Inc.
Honey Grove, PA
717-734-3682
LoysviVe, PA
717-789-3117
MARYLAND
Frederick, MD
Ceresville
Ford New Holland, Inc.
Rt. 26 East
301-662-4197
Outside MD,
.800-331-9122
NEW JERSEY
Bridgeton, N.J.
Leslie G. Fogg, Inc. Smith Tractor &
Canton & Stow Creek Equip., Inc.
Landing Rd. 15 Hillcrest Ave.
609-451-2727 201-689-7900
609-935-5145
Woodtiown. NJ
Owen Supply Co.
Broad Strati &
East Avenue
609-769-0303
Hughesvllle. PA
Farnsworth Farm
Supplies, Inc.
103 Cemetery Street
717-584-2106
New Holland. PA
A.B.C. Groff, Inc.
110 South Railroad
717-354-4191
Oley, PA
C.J. Wonsidler Bros.
R.D. 2
215-987-6257
Pitman. PA
Schreffler Equipment
Pitman, PA
717-648-1120
Quakertown, PA
C.J. Wonsidler Bros.
R.D. 1
215-536-1935
Temequi. PA
Charles S. Snyder, Inc.
R.D. 3
717-386-5945
West Grove. PA
S.G. Lewis & Son, Inc.
R.D. 2, Box 66
215-869-2214
[ton. NJ
Weshli