Florida retirement means more work for volunteer couple

John and Jane Pattison retired from their jobs in the Capital District in November and moved to Lake Okeechobee, Florida, the third largest fresh-water lake in the U.S. and one known for good fishing.

But they did not go south seeking a life of relaxation. Rather, they went to put their beliefs about social justice into action. Living in Okeechobee and working with Mexican farmhands, the Pattisons find the experience a good way to live out the Gospel message.

"It's a good way to get hands-on and see firsthand," said Mrs. Pattison, an associate of the Sisters of the Holy Names, a former administrative assistant for the order and a member of St. Francis de Sales Church in Troy.

Doing more

After years of being involved in social justice efforts locally, the Pattisons were eager to do more. The decision to move to Florida and work with the poor for two years was the right thing, they said.

"We talked and prayed. It's what God wants us to do," Mrs. Pattison said. "I'm glad we risked it."

Her husband, an Episcopalian, agreed. "All of my life I've been interested in social justice and the injustices people encounter from other people," he said. "I was anxious to get into something new. There comes a time when you need to move on."

In the news

As volunteers in mission with the Sisters of the Holy Names, the couple has been living on a stipend and assisting 8,000 Mexican citrus pickers. Mrs. Pattison's priority is producing a weekly Spanish newspaper for the Mexican community. Mr. Pattison manages a trailer park for Mexican farm hands, is helping Mexican immigrants start small businesses and handles the newspaper's circulation.

The newspaper, Mrs. Pattison explained, is underwritten by the local daily. The weekly is free to the community and covers topics of importance to the Mexican community, like how to protect themselves from the effects of pesticides while picking fruit.

"They don't have access to the information because of the language barrier," Mrs. Pattison said.

Her biggest challenge in producing the paper is getting the copy into good Spanish. "It goes through a lot of proofing," she said.

Marketing

While Mrs. Pattison struggles with the production of the paper, Mr. Pattison reports that there has been difficulty with circulation.

"It's not going like hot cakes and that's sobering," he said.

A former sales rep, he has stepped up the marketing efforts in hopes of increasing circulation. What he's found is that a high illiteracy rate combined with a tradition of not reading newspapers has kept the circulation low.

Impressions

The couple are impressed by the community.

"The Mexicans are very caring people," said Mrs. Pattison. "They take good care of their children. They are creative and have determination."

Mr. Pattison added, "'Family' is the big word with Mexicans." He reports that if there is a family death or emergency back in Mexico, the local community pitches in the money to send the family member back to Mexico. After the crisis, the money is slowly paid back.

Another indication of the importance of family, according to Mr. Pattison is that in the trailer park he oversees, many of the trailers are occupied by men who are brothers and cousins. "They won't live with a non-family member," he said.

Tough work

The immigrants, who love their own country, have come to America because there is no work for them in Mexico, Mrs. Pattison explained.

In Florida, they pick citrus, leaving the trailers at 5 a.m., traveling for two hours to the site, working all day and returning home after 7 p.m. A citrus harvester receives $7.50 per bin of fruit picked. A bin can hold 2,000 oranges. The pickers place the fruit in a bag on their backs. The bag holds 200 oranges, which weigh approximately 80 pounds.

"Many elect to work six days per week to bring home more money for their families," said Mrs. Pattison. "Usually, two members of a family work harvesting fruit. When the harvest is good and they are working the maximum time, they can earn between $10,000 to $12,000 between them per year. Most earn less, more like $7,000 to $8,000."

Iffy life

She went on to explain that the harvesters aren't even sure each day that they will be able to earn a living.

"They are only paid when they are picking fruit. If there is no work or transportation or a breakdown in machinery or some such development, even though the worker may be in the field, he will not be paid," she said.

"When you drink your orange juice, you get an appreciation" for the pickers' efforts, Mr. Pattison noted.

His wife added, "Incidently, I recently picked some oranges off a tree, and I discovered that they don't come off easily. You have to twist and pull hard to get the orange to let go. I can't imagine doing this so many times in a day under the hot Florida sun on a ladder with a very heavy bag on my back. Reaching for the fruit is also difficult because the branches are strong and sharp, causing cuts and scratches on your arms."

Training

The fruit-pickers are often qualified to do more. "Mexicans have the skills but are picking oranges," Mr. Pattison said. As a result, one of the things he is trying to do is determine what their training is.

"I'm trying to find out what people know and get them into that trade," he explained. "Citrus picking is not going to be around forever." Machines have already been developed to harvest citrus fruits.

Mrs. Pattison added, "Language barriers keep them from other jobs."

Missing home

Mrs. Pattison is pleased with their life in Florida, although she misses her grandchildren.

"There hasn't been a lot of sacrifice," she said. "It's been freeing. We were overextended. This gives us the chance to focus."

Mr. Pattison said, "There have been no sacrifices. I don't think I've really made any."

(03-13-97) [[In-content Ad]]