On the morning of July 31, Idaho Organization of Resource Councils members Samantha Guerrero and Julia Santiago met at a Nampa Home Depot. Their cars, parked right next to each other, trunks open, were prepared for a distribution of aid to local farmworkers impacted by wildfire smoke and high summer temperatures.
They carried crates of Gatorade, N95 masks, protective gloves, eyewear – basic supplies needed by farmworkers to carry out rough, often unforgiving agricultural work across the state.
Soon, they would be driving 20 minutes away to a group of farmworkers combing through a corn cob field. Santiago and Guerrero said their mission, as well as that of the Idaho Organization of Resource Councils as an organization, is to provide rural immigrant workers with supplies needed for their day-to-day activities…