ALBANY, Ore. — A program giving legal services and information to 40,000 Mexican and Central American farm workers in Oregon’s Willamette Valley has received a $10,000 donation from the PacifiCorp Foundation for Learning.

The Lawyer’s Campaign for Equal Justice, in partnership with the Oregon Law Center, is assisting low-income migrant workers with their legal problems regarding health care, housing, family law, public benefits and elderly issues. The PacifiCorp Foundation, which is the charitable arm of Pacific Power, also contributed $10,000 to the effort last year.

“Since May 2002, we’ve worked to improve the lives and working conditions of indigenous farm laborers by providing basic information about rules governing farm labor, pay and living conditions,” explained Matthew Jones, Campaign for Equal Justice annual fund director. “Our outreach workers have increased their hours to four nights a week, personally meeting with 5,000 indigenous workers in labor camps, apartment buildings, laundromats and other gathering venues.”

Not all of the need is legal. Last May, Woodburn officials announced an E coli contamination danger in the city’s water supply and asked Woodburn residents to boil water before using it. Outreach team member Valentin Sanchez went to a local radio station and broadcast the warning in Mixteco, a language used by many of the area’s farm workers.

Legal aid staff will extend outreach and education efforts to Latin American farm workers who make up a growing part of Oregon’s agricultural workforce. Many of these groups entering the farm labor workforce come from impoverished backgrounds and rarely speak English; and many indigenous people speak little Spanish. Staff works to provide information about wages and working conditions, particularly healthcare and safety. The project is modeled on successful strategies implemented in California.

Project activities will be carried out by the Oregon Law Center from its office in Woodburn, Ore.

“We believe so strongly in the value of education to lift up individuals and give them a chance to thrive,” said Isaac Regenstreif, executive director of the PacifiCorp Foundation for Learning.“The projects we’re helping are bringing huge benefits to Oregon communities both large and small.”

In its latest round of grants, the PacifiCorp Foundation for Learning awarded nearly $63,000 civic and community grants to 14 nonprofit education programs throughout Oregon. It also awarded $12,500 to small capital improvement projects in Portland, Moro and Medford.

To apply for a grant, and to review specific eligibility requirements, please go to  www.pacificorpfoundation.org

About the PacifiCorp Foundation for Learning

The PacifiCorp Foundation for Learning was created and incorporated as a corporate foundation in 1988 in order to become the major channel of philanthropy for PacifiCorp, Pacific Power and Utah Power. PacifiCorp and its employees have a long tradition of active involvement in the communities served by Pacific Power, including charitable contributions, sponsorships of community events and in-kind donations. The Foundation’s civic and community grants are one of four groups of awards each year. Other award categories are education, arts and culture, and health and human services.  

The Foundation’s mission is to foster strategic sustainable learning initiatives that serve the best aspirations of individuals, organizations and communities, and that enhance and develop their capabilities to address significant challenges and opportunities.

Media inquiries: newsdesk@pacificorp.com