Group strengthens relationships, increases cultural understanding

Roberto Tecpile wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t what was best for his family.

That’s what he — with the help of a translator — told a crowd at the Independence Public Library during a presentation by Puentes/Bridges last Friday. Tecpile is an executive director of the group and has spent much of the last eight years working on a farm in Buffalo County. 

“I have a lot of different motivations (for being in the United States)” Tecpile said. “One is being alive, another is for our children. To teach them how they should be working.”

Tecpile’s story is a familiar one for immigrants who have come to the United States for jobs that allow them to create better lives for their families back home. Tecpile grew up in Veracruz, Mexico, his father was a farmer who struggled to put food on the table or a roof over their heads. 

Tecpile recalled one night when his family slept in a house that only had plastic for shelter. While he enjoyed seeing the stars as he went to sleep, one night a storm came through with hale that ripped through the plastic and fell on he and his family as they attempted to sleep. 

“I told my mom, in that moment that when I grew up, I was going to build her a house,” Tecpile said. 

He tried to do so working in Mexico, but several different jobs didn’t provide him enough money to make his dream a reality. So, he crossed the border. 

Tecpile has worked a number of jobs on this side of the border, working on a golf course in North Carolina, in tobacco fields, construction and trimming trees. He has spent the last eight years on a farm in Waumandee, where he has developed a strong relationship with his employer, John Rosenow. 

Puentes/Bridges began in 1999 when Carl Duley, Buffalo County’s UW-Extention agricultural agent saw the need to bridge the communication gap between local farmers and their Mexican employees. He approached Shaun Duvall, a high school Spanish teacher at the time, and they worked together to form the group.

Mercedes Falk is currently the president of the group and was on hand for the presentation. She told numerous stories of farmers who made trips to Mexico to meet the families of the people they were helping provide for. The stories were mostly similar with people who struggled to provide in Mexico, but were able to create happy lives for their families once they came to the United States.

“We have the same dreams of wanting to build a better life for our families,” Falk said. 

Falk understands the current climate regarding immigration, part of her group’s goal is to help people understand the cultural differences and why so many have come to this country.

What she has seen through her work with Puentes/Bridges, is something that has benefited everyone involved.

“Farmers see the houses that are built and get to see the sacrifices that employees are making for their families,” Falk said. “The employees are grateful that the farmers care.” 

That care, she said, has helped many families cope with having a loved one in a foreign land. She said the families have been appreciative of their visits, often welcoming their arrival with traditional meals and celebrations. 

In addition to building homes and providing for their families, the employees have been able to build their own businesses. Falk told a story of meeting the owner of a cell phone store while in Mexico only to find out that he had previously worked on a farm in Waumandee. She told the story of another former area farmhand who has built his own taxi business in Mexico. 

Sandy Witte, of Arcadia, was a part of the most recent trip, going to Mexico with four farmers and four other community members last February. She works with the Arcadia Food Pantry and wanted to get a better understanding of their culture in order to better serve Arcadia’s Hispanic community. She noted seeing a farmer plant a corn field on the side of a hill by hand. 

Falk told a story of a village that has just gotten access to electricity within the last 25 years. She said the trips have helped farmers relate to their employees.

“It helps you learn to navigate a country that is not your own,” Falk said.

More information and stories about trips to Mexico can be found on the Puentes/Bridges website: https://www.puentesbridges.org