Getting to Know Rural and Migrant Ministries

Rural and Migrant Ministries is an organization doing inspiring and effective work helping low income families develop the skills they need to advocate for themselves and better their own lives. Frank Gundersen, Warren Mazek, Ellen Hatch and Laura Swiggett visited RMM’s office in Riverhead twice this year to learn more about what RMM does, with a goal of understanding if they might be a good fit as a St. John’s Outreach partner.

RMM is affiliated with the Episcopal Church and provides assistance to the underserved Long Island rural community. We met with Maria del Mar Piedrabuena, RMM’s Associate LI Regional Coordinator. Her background is in journalism and among other assignments she has worked for Long Island News 12. St John’s parishioners were lucky enough to hear Maria speak at our Coffee Hour with a Purpose on Sunday, November 17th where she shared details of their important ministry. The work of RMM is about building agency, or as Maria said on Sunday, "providing soup is very important, but teaching how to make it is even more so.

The Riverhead office is housed in the local Episcopal church, which is now ecumenical. Changing demographics led the Diocese of Long Island to believe that the best use of the church was to focus on the local migrant community. RMM provides programs in English and Spanish literacy, financial literacy and labor rights. They operate a cleaning co-operative for house cleaners and a farm workers cooperative that distributes fruits and vegetables to low income families and seniors.

RMM’s Riverhead program also has a specific focus on the social and emotional development of women and children. They hold discussion sessions in groups of 20, often tied to a specific activity such as painting or knitting. Almost every meeting is tied to a meal, which creates a warm and welcoming environment. They use story telling as way to develop communication skills and build confidence. These activities nurture a sense of community and help the women and young people adapt to a new culture and environment. Their youth group helps students prepare for college and develop their own voice through activities such as podcasting. They also run a youth camp in the summer which serves more than 200 children. The programming is fun, educational and includes field trips.

Both site visits confirmed our sense that Rural & Migrant Ministries is a great fit for St. John’s Outreach and is very worthy of our support. Their mission of promoting agency and building leadership within a new generation of young people aligns perfectly with our mission. St. John’s sponsored one camper this summer, and we are in conversation about other ways to help. We look forward to continuing to support the compassionate work of RMM Riverhead through both parishioner engagement and financial assistance.

Please join us on Sunday, December 1st at 4 pm for our Roots of Gratitude Concert for RMM. More details will follow in the "At St. John's"