In the News: Local nonprofit offers help to agriculture workers

Edgar Sanchez (left) and Esdras Vargas (right) discuss planning to increase their outreach.

Photo property of A. Goodman | Sampson Independent

In a modest office just off the main drag in Clinton, a small team of young professionals is quietly reshaping the lives of Sampson County’s agricultural workers. They call themselves Southeast Nonprofit Housing, but for many of the county’s farmworkers and their families, they’re simply known as the people who show up when no one else does.

The organization, which began in Alabama as a small housing nonprofit before expanding into Georgia and North Carolina, is now rooted in one of the state’s most agriculturally rich counties. Its mission: to improve living conditions and career opportunities for those who plant, pick, pack, process, or otherwise handle the food that fuels the region.

“It’s very personal for me,” said Jessica Sanchez, the program development coordinator who leads the North Carolina team. Originally from Minnesota, Sanchez worked in Sampson County Schools before joining Southeast Nonprofit Housing. “Most of the families I served back then were agricultural workers. I loved advocating for them and for their children in their native language. When I saw this opportunity online, I thought, ‘This is what I’ve been called to do.’”

Southeast Nonprofit Housing still provides its original housing assistance: rental help, utility support, and repairs, but as of September 2024 it also offers career services through a Department of Labor grant. The new program helps farmworkers and their dependents enroll in training, earn certifications, and move into sustainable jobs.

For Sanchez, the shift has been powerful. “Some of the kids I helped in middle and high school are now walking through our doors as community college or university students,” she said. “That’s incredible. We’ve reached a broad audience in North Carolina, and Sampson and Duplin counties are two of our biggest service areas.”

A frequent misconception about the nonprofit is that it serves only Latino farmworkers. In reality, anyone who has worked in agriculture within the past two years, whether in the fields, on chicken or hog farms, at nurseries, or at processing plants like Smithfield or Butterball, may be eligible.

“Absolutely, this is for everyone,” Sanchez stressed. “Agriculture in North Carolina is broad. It’s blueberries and pine straw, cattle and chickens, plants and nurseries. As long as they’re touching raw produce or animals, they can qualify.”

Cristal Del Rio, the outreach specialist, spends her days spreading that message. “What I do is basically create and collect the intake applications and all the documents,” she said. “We’re trying to focus on local churches, Head Start programs, high schools — anywhere we can reach parents and workers. A lot of people still don’t know we’re here.”

Del Rio’s own story mirrors that of many clients. She once worked in pine production and struggled to afford basic home repairs until Southeast Nonprofit Housing helped her replace her flooring. “I didn’t really believe in the system,” she admitted. “But this company showed me there is hope. Now I work here so I can help other families feel that same relief.”

Inside the Clinton office, Edgar Sanchez, who is Jessica’s nephew, handles the housing side of the operation. He sees firsthand the difference between Southeast’s approach and traditional government assistance.

“We’re more personal,” he explained. “We sit down with each client, take our time, and get to know them. Many come to us as a last resort, and nobody likes asking for help. But we ask what’s going on in their household, not just what they need from us. That’s how we understand their real situation.”

That personal touch also means Southeast Nonprofit Housing can keep working even during times of uncertainty, like government shutdowns. “Our funding goes through grant cycles,” Edgar said. “As long as there’s no freeze, we keep helping people the same way.”

Edras Vargas, a 24-year-old career advisor, came to Southeast after working as a recruiter for the Sampson County Schools’ migrant education program. “It was really eye-opening,” he said. “I’d go into farmworkers’ homes and see families moving from Florida to North Carolina to New Jersey to Michigan. Kids were losing stability and falling behind in school.”

When the program lost funding, Vargas looked for another way to serve those families. “Here, we’re still helping farmworkers, but not just with housing. We’re helping them get training and find jobs that can sustain them,” he said.

The criteria for career assistance are straightforward: participants must be in some kind of training, whether a short-term certificate at Sampson Community College, a CDL program, or a bachelor’s degree at a university. “We want to transform lives from being limited to just agriculture,” Vargas said. “We want to help them spread their wings.”

Young Leaders with Deep Roots

One striking thing about the Clinton team is their age. All four core staffers are under 30. Yet each carries a personal connection to the work.

Vargas was drawn in by the educational struggles he witnessed. Del Rio was once a client herself. Edgar Sanchez grew up working alongside farmworkers and understands their pride and challenges. And Jessica Sanchez, though originally from Minnesota, built her career advocating for farmworker families in Sampson County Schools.

For all of them, it’s about more than just a job. “Helping people kind of just feels rewarding,” Vargas said. “Just hearing a thank you, it hits different.”

Southeast Nonprofit Housing currently has funds to assist at least 85 people with permanent housing and hopes to double or triple that number in the next grant cycle. The team is also joining local chambers of commerce and reaching out to schools, churches, and county leaders to expand awareness.

“Our goal is to serve as many people as possible,” Jessica Sanchez said. “These are hardworking North Carolinians who are absolutely deserving of this assistance.”

She believes features like this one can help break through the word-of-mouth barrier and reach farmworkers who may not yet know they qualify. “We have a large Spanish-speaking population, but there are so many others — domestic workers, non-Latino farmworkers, who could benefit from our services,” she said.

At the end of a long day, the staff often reflects on the ministry-like nature of their work. “We’re friends, we’re advisors, sometimes we’re even psychologists,” Vargas said with a smile. “Some people just want to be heard.”

They hope their example shows the wider community that collaboration across lines of race, nationality, and background is possible, and necessary. “We don’t have a specific race or gender,” Vargas said. “We want to make sure that anybody who seeks help actually gets that help. Action speaks louder than words.”

For a county built on agriculture, that message resonates deeply. Sampson County may be the largest county in North Carolina, but for farmworkers who often feel invisible, Southeast Nonprofit Housing is making it feel a little more like home.