ADRIAN — As southeast Michigan prepares to welcome hundreds of migrant farmworkers, community members are stepping up to make sure they have the warm clothing they will need to face chilly Michigan weather.
The Hoodies for Lenawee Farmworkers 2025 initiative is collecting hoodies and sweatshirts before farmworkers arrive later this month.
Pete Vargas, organizer of the initiative, said the goal is to provide comfort and dignity to the workers who help sustain our food system. Most of the workers come from warmer countries and may not have warm clothing when they arrive.
Vargas said that when he posted an appeal on Facebook, people immediately started offering to help. Among them was Vince Inclan, owner of My Cousin Vinny’s Barbershop, who offered his businesses as dropoff locations.
People are encouraged to donate new or gently used hoodies and sweatshirts. They do not have to be new, but should be clean.
The dropoff locations are:
- My Cousin Vinny’s Barbershop & Salon, 136 E. Maumee St., Suite 1, Adrian.
- My Cousin Vinny’s 2, 901 W. Michigan Ave., Suite D, Saline.
People can also help by volunteering to pick up items for the collection, organizing clothing drives at their workplaces, or hosting a dropoff site, among other ways.
Vargas said Lenawee County is expecting to host about 300 migrant farmworkers, who come to the U.S. seasonally using H-2A visas sponsored by local farms. He said this is a way of saying “welcome back.”
The group has received donations from as far away as the Detroit area.
Organizers have reached their original goal of collecting 300 sweatshirts, but donations are still welcome. Vargas said that additional donations will help provide more than one sweatshirt per person, as well as making sure everyone can receive clothing in the correct size.
They especially need shirts in men’s and women’s small, medium and large sizes, he said.
For more information about how to help, email [email protected], text 210-378-7240, or sign up using this form.
(Correction: Vince Inclan’s name was listed incorrectly in the print version of this story.)
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