At the beginning of May, Kathia, CATA's Food Justice Coordinator for the last eight years, took a new position as the Policy Advocate at the Pinelands Preservation Alliance. We are deeply grateful to Kathia for the eight years she worked with CATA - pouring her heart and soul into our food justice work! We are excited to see where this next chapter of her life will take her! Here is Kathia's Farewell letter:

Dear Supporters and allies,

It has been an honor to be part of CATA as the Food Justice Coordinator for almost eight years. When I first joined CATA in 2014, I never imagined getting this far and being capable of all that I accomplished during my time. A few months after I joined, I was given the task of leading the Food Justice Program, not knowing anything about growing food. I remember being amazed at what a lettuce seed looks like!

This role allowed me to grow as a professional and as a person. I appreciate all the new skills I attained and the opportunity to discover who I truly am. I gave this program my all, and I am grateful for your support! It has been a pleasure sharing this work, whether through blogs, radio programs, speaking events, or social media.

I think the program is ready to take on without me allowing others to make it grow even more. I trust that I have built a good foundation with the start of a weekly market day, the youth program, and recurring events such as the Herbal Medicine exchanges and the Day of the Dead celebration.

Although it's saddening that I am leaving this role and CATA, I am sure that all I have learned will be built upon as I embark on a journey to organize a bigger audience. I know that I will continue to work alongside CATA, and I can't wait to see how this program continues to flourish!

Best Wishes,
Kathia Ramirez

CATA's future Food Justice activists have been busy these past months. They worked together to weed the garden beds at our Community Garden, moved a lot of topsoils to fill the beds, harvested radishes, planted melons and peppers, and even found a friendly little worm (a sign of good soil!)

They also learned about some herbs, including making a homemade mosquito repellent with basil, mint, and lemon balm. Additionally, they had a fantastic time at the Wellness Exposition at the Buckshutem Road School in Bridgeton, NJ, sharing information about our Food Justice Program with community members.

Last month we also had an Introductory Gardening Workshop and officially opened our volunteer days at the Bridgeton, NJ, Community Garden! If you are interested in volunteering there, please join us on Sunday, June 12, and July 3 and 17 between 9 am and 12 pm. Our volunteers have free access to organic vegetables and fruits. Our garden is located at 80 Church St. Bridgeton, NJ.

For more information about our Food Justice Program and becoming a volunteer at our garden, please contact Erika Perez at 856-575-5511 or email: eperez@cata-farmworkers.org.

CATA creates lasting change in farm and migrant workers living and working conditions. Will you join us?

We improve workers' and immigrant rights and promote food Justice in Maryland, New Jersey, and Philadelphia. We work with volunteers, and donors, providing a platform for you to make a more significant, more profound difference.

Visit www.cata-farmworkers.org/take-action to learn how you can join our efforts. Change doesn't happen without you!

CATA is a founding member of the Agricultural Justice Project (AJP). This initiative seeks to bring together stakeholders from across the food system to seek out how we build fairness on farms and in our food system while holding ourselves accountable to our principles and values. 

One of the ways we've worked on this is to create the Food Justice Certified label - a label with standards on labor conditions that farmworkers and their advocates have been involved with creating and implementing. 

If you'd like to learn about one of AJP's current projects in the Midwest, you can check out this article that was published in the "Organic Broadcaster" of MOSES. You can also read more about AJP on their website at: https://www.agriculturaljusticeproject.org/