The Sparta Area Migrant Resource Council (Sparta MRC) is one of nine Migrant Resource Councils in the state of Michigan that are overseen by the Department of Human Services. The Council is a collaboration of public and private agencies, growers and concerned citizens, working together to serve the needs of migrant farmworkers in the greater Sparta area. The Council identifies unmet needs in the migrant community, develops appropriate programs to meet those needs, coordinates the delivery of existing support services, serves as a forum to exchange information among agencies, and educates the community about the needs of the migrant population.
The Sparta MRC supports migrant farmworkers and the greater Sparta community through annual events such as food distributions, cross-cultural activities at Sparta Town and Country Days, the Camp Clean Up event, a distribution of winter clothing and household items, and the annual Farmworker Appreciation Day where a “Head-to-Toe” event is held that enables migrant children to receive haircuts and shoes before they go back to school.
The Sparta Community Foundation awarded the Sparta MRC $2,550 for the 2012 season. This will allow the MRC to hold various food distributions for the migrant and seasonal farmworkers that come to the area throughout the harvest season.
All Sparta MRC meetings are open to the public. For more information or donations, contact any of the officers. The Sparta MRC meets on the fourth Tuesday of each month at 10 a.m. at Holy Family Catholic Church, 425 S. State St. in Sparta.
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