National Farm Worker Ministry

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National Farm Worker Ministry

NFWM mobilizes people of faith and conscience who want to support the Farm Worker Movement. NFWM became the vehicle for people of faith to respond to that call.

National Farm Worker Ministry is a faith based organization which supports farm workers as they organize for justice and empowerment. NFWM began in 1920 as a ministry of charity and service, providing food, clothing and day care to the farm workers. When United Farm Workers founder Cesar Chavez began organizing in the 1960′s, he called on the religious community to change its emphasis from charity

to justice. NFWM brings together national denominations, state councils of churches, religious orders and congregations, and concerned individuals to act with the farm workers to achieve fundamental change in their living and working conditions.

08/23/2026

What does mental health support look like when it starts with the whole person?

A few weeks ago, we explored that question during our webinar, Carrying More Than the Harvest: Mental Health in Farm Worker Communities.

The conversation reminded us that mental health is shaped by far more than what happens in a counseling room. Working conditions, extreme heat, financial stress, family separation, housing, culture, language, community, and access to trusted support can all affect well-being.

And meaningful care looks different when it begins by listening to the people and communities it is meant to serve.

➡️ Swipe through for a few of the questions we explored together, including the role of community-centered care, faith communities, and reducing stigma around mental health.

Want to go deeper? The full webinar replay, presenter materials, and additional resources are available here:

https://nfwm.org/news/farm-worker-mental-health-webinar/

08/19/2026

Farm workers face more than 35 times the risk of heat-related death compared with workers in other industries. ☀️

According to research by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the danger of extreme heat for agricultural workers is disproportionately high.

Extreme heat isn't simply uncomfortable for people spending full days working outdoors. It's a workplace hazard that can lead to serious illness, injury, and death.

Yet right now, H.R. 6213 could block progress toward federal heat protections by preventing the Department of Labor from finalizing or enforcing OSHA's proposed Heat Injury and Illness Prevention standard or a substantially similar rule.

Farm workers and other outdoor workers should not have to risk their lives to earn a living.

📣 Our partners at the United Farm Workers are asking people across the country to contact Congress and urge their representatives to oppose H.R. 6213.

It takes just a few minutes to add your voice.

👉 Take action today:
https://act.seiu.org/a/fedheatregs

We’ll share the NIH and CDC research behind this statistic in the comments.

08/10/2026

Every day, farm workers step into the fields to do work that helps feed all of us.

They should be able to trust that they will come home safely.

At our Bearing Witness vigil, Fr. Hector Rodriguez offered this prayer for farm workers who have lost their lives, for those continuing to work in dangerous conditions, and for the people with the power to make those conditions safer.

His prayer holds both grief and responsibility.

As people of faith and conscience, we can mourn lives lost. We can pray. But we are also called to care about the conditions that put those lives at risk in the first place.

We invite you to spend a moment with Father Hector's words and reflect with us:

What does it mean to truly stand with the people whose labor feeds our communities?

08/06/2026

Today is National Farm Worker Appreciation Day, and we're reflecting on what followed our recent Bearing Witness vigil in Raleigh, NC.

After the vigil, we had the opportunity to gather for dinner with farm workers.

They had already spent the day in the fields, yet we shared a meal, stories, laughter, and conversation. Together, we talked about family, about what it means to spend months away from home, and about the hopes and sacrifices that come with this work.

Time together reminded us that solidarity grows through relationships—not only by showing up, but by listening, learning, and continuing to stand alongside one another.

Farm workers deserve what every person deserves: the opportunity to care for their families, to work with dignity, to return home safely each day, and to be known for more than the labor they provide.

Today, we celebrate farm workers with deep gratitude.

Thank you for feeding our communities.
Thank you for sharing time and conversation with us.
Thank you for allowing us to continue building relationships rooted in respect, trust, and solidarity.

Happy National Farm Worker Appreciation Day.

08/03/2026

Farm workers spend long hours in the fields helping bring food to our tables.
No one should have to risk their life simply to earn a day’s wage.

At Bearing Witness, we gathered not only to remember farm workers whose lives were lost to heat stress, but also to affirm our shared responsibility as people of faith and conscience. We are called to listen, to speak truthfully about preventable harm, and to stand alongside workers demanding the water, shade, rest, and protections they deserve.

We stood together with El Futuro Es Nuestro, worker advocates, faith leaders, community organizations, congregations, and neighbors in support of the worker-led Ni Una Vida Más (Not One More Life) campaign.

In this powerful reflection, Rabbi Sandra Lawson, Executive Director of Carolina Jews for Justice , reminds us that these deaths are not inevitable and that bearing witness must lead us beyond mourning toward responsibility and action.

We will continue sharing voices, images, and moments from the vigil in the weeks ahead.

May they remind each of us that there is a place for everyone in the work of standing with farm workers.

07/30/2026

Today is World Day Against Trafficking in Persons.

When many people hear “human trafficking,” they may first think of s*x trafficking. But labor trafficking is also happening here in the US… and farm workers are too often among those harmed.

In agriculture, labor trafficking can look like:

💵 Stolen wages
⚠️ Threats of deportation
🏚️ Unsafe or overcrowded housing
🚫 Isolation from community and support
📄 Coercion by employers or labor contractors

Labor trafficking uses force, fraud, or coercion to exploit workers. In agriculture, rural isolation, visa dependence, labor contractors, language barriers, and poverty can all make workers more vulnerable and make reporting abuse harder.

Farm workers perform essential labor that helps feed our communities. No worker should face exploitation, threats, or abuse while doing work that sustains us all.
We stand with farm workers pursuing safety, dignity, justice, and freedom from exploitation.

Learn more:
https://nfwm.org/farm-workers/farm-worker-issues/modern-day-slavery/

07/28/2026

The Fair Food Program is proof that change is possible! ✊

For more than a decade, the Fair Food Program has helped protect farm workers' rights, dignity, and safety through a worker-led model of accountability. Today, the program reaches farms across the U.S. and beyond—but there is still work to do.

Our partners at the Coalition of Immokalee Workers have created a Virtual Action Toolkit with simple ways to support the Fair Food Program and encourage more companies to join.

Every action helps strengthen farm worker-led solutions.

🔗 Access the toolkit here:
https://linktr.ee/JusticeforFarmworkers

07/25/2026

Our hearts are full. 💚

Thank you to everyone who joined us for Bearing Witness, standing in remembrance of farm workers who have lost their lives to heat stress and in solidarity with those continuing to fight for safer working conditions.

We are especially grateful to our partners El Futuro Es Nuestro, Union of Southern Service Workers, Unitarian Universalist Justice Ministry of North Carolina, Muslims for Social Justice, Southern Workers Assembly, the congregations who opened their doors, our speakers, volunteers, and every person who chose to stand with farm workers.

While our Board of Directors continues meeting this weekend, we wanted to pause and simply say thank you.

Over the next few weeks, we'll be sharing photos, videos, reflections, and moments from the vigil, along with highlights from our board gathering. We hope you'll continue following along as we reflect on what we've learned and continue standing alongside farm workers.

Thank you for being part of this movement. Together, we keep showing up. 💚

07/24/2026

Tomorrow we gather.

Tomorrow we remember the farm workers whose lives were lost to heat stress.

Tomorrow we stand alongside workers calling for stronger protections and safer conditions.

Tomorrow we bear witness.

📍 Halifax Mall, Raleigh
🗓 Friday, July 24
🕟 4:30–5:00 PM ET

If you're planning to attend, we'd love for you to RSVP so we know you're coming.

🔗 RSVP here:
https://nfwm.org/news/farm-worker-heat-stress-vigil-july-2026/

Address

112 Cox Avenue
Raleigh, NC
27605

Website

http://www.nfwm.org/

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