Dr. Ann Lopez, Founder of Center for Farmworker Families, will attend and speak at the ‘Celebrate the Legacy of Cesar Chavez with a Day of Service at The Homeless Garden Project’

The day of service will include remarks by Dr. Ann López, 2018 recipient of the City of Watsonville Cesar E. Chavez Community Award. Dr. López is the executive director of Center for Farmworker Families and the author of The Farm Worker’s Journey, an immense work of nonfiction, compiling testimonials of the realities of migrant farmworkers along with academic research.

Cesar Chavez was a civil rights and farm worker leader, a community organizer and social entrepreneur, a champion of nonviolent social change, and an advocate for the environment, consumer rights and education. Throughout his life, Chavez labored as a migrant worker in California, where he was exposed to the injustices of farm worker life. Using nonviolent and grassroots tactics, Chavez co-founded the National Farm Workers Association (later known as the United Farm Workers Union). Cesar Chavez’s work and legacy transcend any single cause or struggle.

Chavez’s motto, “Si se puede!” (“Yes, it can be done!”), coined during his 1972 fast in Arizona, embodies the legacy he left for people around the world, one which inspires the work of the Homeless Garden Project every day.

The Homeless Garden Project, an innovator in transitional employment and sustainable agriculture, today announced it will host a farm workday to honor the legacy of Cesar Chavez and to prepare for spring planting. The day of service will be held on Monday, April 1, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Natural Bridges on the Westside of Santa Cruz.

The Homeless Garden Project welcomes volunteers of all ages and abilities to work on the farm during this transformative time of year. Spring is when the farm is prepared for plantings. Volunteers may take part in a variety of projects including bed preparation for planting, building compost piles and weeding. Volunteers should bring water, sunscreen and a hat. Closed-toed shoes are required. Lunch will be provided.