A Happy Birthday

 

On this beautiful day in March, the children in this camp gather as we help to celebrate an eighth birthday. She receives her new clothes and a pocketbook that comes with fabric markers. After cake and icecream, the birthday girl will spend the rest of her party carefully coloring in the fabric designs on her pocketbook.

Some migrant children live in the camps year round in Beaufort County. Some live under the same roof with both parents. More typically, the father travels to find farm work in other states, occasionally reuniting briefly between crops and travel. Quite often the women will find work cleaning or doing other odd jobs while their children attend the St. Helena Elementary School. Some women take turning taking care of the children while the other mothers work.

Although the first tomato crop will not be ready until the first week in June or so, many migrant workers are already here getting the fields ready for planting.

Today it's about cake, ice cream, and celebrating a special birthday of a little girl who loves going to school.