From the Apopka Farmworkers Association
In Summary:
The Farmworker Association of Florida will host a community dinner on October 23 from 5 to 8:30 pm at the Apopka Community Center, bringing together farmworker families and supporters. Chefs will incorporate garden harvests into a family-style meal, accompanied by mariachi, folklórico dance, live music, and community stories. Advance tickets are $50 for adults, $15 for youths ages 12–17, and $5 for children younger than 12; online sales close October 22.
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For families whose work helps put food on other people’s tables, Friday’s dinner will offer a chance to gather around one of their own. In Apopka, the Farmworker Association of Florida is preparing a meal that connects the harvest to the people behind it.
Related: Labor, Community, and Faith Organizations Call on World’s Largest Grower and Apopka Employer to Join National Program called ‘Planting Justice’ to Eradicate Labor Abuses.
The organization will host a community dinner Friday, October 23, from 5 to 8:30 pm at the Apopka Community Center. The evening will feature a family-style meal, mariachi, folklórico dance, live music, and stories shared by community members.
Founded in 1983, the association describes the gathering as an opportunity to bring people together after 43 years of working alongside farmworker families. More than 125 guests had confirmed their attendance when the invitation was issued.
“After 43 years, we want to do something we have not done in a long time: sit down together at one table,” the organization wrote.
An Apopka harvest on the menu
The dinner will draw from the association’s gardens, connecting guests to food grown locally and the people who cultivate it. The invitation lists moringa, sweet potato leaves, nopales, chipilín, lemongrass, chaya — also known as Mexican spinach — and a banana heart among the harvest chefs will bring to the meal.
The association describes the journey as “from our people’s soil to your plate.” Although the invitation does not specify individual dishes, the garden harvest will be part of the family-style dinner.
The organization’s leadership team will serve an agua fresca station, while staff members and volunteers have made the decorations. Those contributions extend the community’s involvement beyond the kitchen and into the gathering itself.
Music, makers and community stories
Alongside dinner, guests can enjoy mariachi, folklórico dance and live music. A raffle, auction and market featuring local makers are also planned.
The program will include stories told by the people who live them, making the evening a chance to hear directly from community members as well as share a meal. The invitation emphasizes that families and children are welcome.
Organizers will not provide childcare and ask parents and guardians to remain with their children throughout the event. Suggested attire is “nice and comfortable,” and guests are encouraged to come ready to share in the evening.
Tickets and ways to participate
Advance tickets cost $50 for adults 18 and older, $15 for youths ages 12–17, and $5 for children younger than 12. Online ticket sales close the night before the event, Thursday, Oct. 22; adult admission at the door will cost $75.
Guests can purchase tickets or donate through the event’s online page. Supporters who can't attend may also purchase tickets and note that they would like to donate the seats.
Businesses and individuals interested in sponsoring the event or participating as vendors can contact Dr. Andrea Ortega, the association’s development director, at development@floridafarmworkers.org.
Five key points
- The community dinner takes place Friday, October 23, from 5 to 8:30 pm at the Apopka Community Center.
- The Farmworker Association of Florida, founded in 1983, reported more than 125 confirmed guests when it sent the invitation.
- The family-style meal will feature garden harvests, including moringa, sweet potato leaves, nopales, chipilín, lemongrass, and chaya.
- Entertainment and activities include mariachi, folklórico dance, live music, community stories, a raffle, an auction, and a local makers market.
- Advance adult tickets cost $50 and rise to $75 at the door; discounted youth and children’s tickets are available, but childcare will not be provided.
