UNETE, OGC Mission Fund Recipient, Helps Some of the Most Vulnerable People in Our Communities

NOWIA UNETE, Center for Farm Worker Advocacy supports some of the most vulnerable people in our communities by providing interpretation services, offering humanitarian assistance and helping them access essential resources like the Oregon Health Plan. In total, UNETE helps well over 5,000 people every year.

Running a wide range of important programs, they support farm workers directly by helping with wage claims, legal issues and advocacy—supporting guest workers during Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) check-ins and offering travel assistance for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and to complete asylum applications. To help workers from other nations celebrate their cultural heritage, the organization holds events like Day of the Dead and Dia del Niño celebrations.

In disaster recovery, UNETE continues to help families affected by the 2020 wildfires through the Homeowner Assistance and Reconstruction Program (HARP). Many of these families were already in vulnerable situations—the fires destroyed 2,500 homes; most were affordable housing in trailer parks. Their HARP program has helped people with down payments, purchasing replacement mobile homes, rental assistance and much more. UNETE has also contributed to building more affordable housing in the area.

Food assistance is another cornerstone of their work. UNETE runs an on-site food pantry that reached over 3,800 people last year as well as a weekly mobile food pantry.

Beyond these programs, UNETE partners with environmental organizations for air quality and climate change education, supports children with special needs, conducts community outreach, offers “know your rights” trainings and classes in citizenship, guitar and English.

There’s no question the organization faces big challenges right now. The families they support are feeling the impact of sudden and destabilizing changes: refugees have lost access to food stamps, there’s widespread fear of ICE in the community and some people are worried about asylum cases.

 In 2025, OGC gave Unete a Mission Fund grant. Unete’s Program Coordinator, Kathy Keesee, shared that, “Most of the grant is earmarked for our food pantry. We purchase culturally appropriate staples like long grain rice, flour for tortillas and more. This grant helps feed the community at a time when people are facing a lot of food insecurity.” 

 Unete helps empower and enrich the lives of farm workers. It’s one of many organizations supported by OGC’s Mission Fund Grant Program, which promotes equity in the food system, increasing access to organic food and more. Find a list of all our 2025 grant recipients here.