Florida farmers receive federal financial assistance to help with pandemic costs

POLK COUNTY, Fla. — While touring a farm in Polk County Friday, the Hispanic Federation Partnership announced Florida farmworkers would continue receiving one-time from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

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According to a press release, the USDA is continuing to mail out a total of $1,140,000 to 1,900 to the state’s farmworkers and has been doing so since March.

The Hispanic Federation Partnership said the $600-one-time payments would help workers who suffered pandemic-related health and safety costs.

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The payments are part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm and Food Workers Relief Grant program, which awarded the Hispanic Federation a $44.3 million grant for farm and food workers in 17 states.

“Latinos who were at the front lines of the pandemic, including our farmworkers, experienced higher death, infection, and hospitalization rates during the COVID-19 pandemic, " said Frankie Miranda, president and CEO of the Hispanic Federation.

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The USDA’s FFWR grant program is one of the Hispanic Federation’s initiatives that support vulnerable communities in Florida.

Hispanic Federation said its partners provide legal services, health resources, education programming, and economic support to fill in gaps exacerbated by anti-immigrant and anti-LGBTQ+ policies recently implemented in the state.

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“Hispanic Federation stands alongside all these farmworkers and the immigrant community, recognizing that this country’s strength lies in the diversity and inclusivity they bring to this nation,” said Laudi Campo, Hispanic Federation’s Florida State Director.

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