Helping area Hispanics

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dboyd@journalnet.com

ABERDEEN — Manuel Cavazos came to Southeast Idaho from Texas’s searing Rio Grande Valley about 45 years ago.

Upon arrival, he found fertile soil and something even more important — a cause.

After following another family to Aberdeen, a small farming community of about 2,000 people, Cavazos found himself drawn toward helping other members of the town’s burgeoning Hispanic community.

“I am predisposed to serve,” Cavazos said. “I like to help people.”

Cavazos became a member of the Idaho Migrant Council, a statewide organization dedicated to enhancing the lives of migrant and seasonal Latino farmworkers.

He also took on an active role at the Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church, where he served as the choir director for 20 years and organized activities for restless youngsters as the local contact for Head Start programs.

“Before, they didn’t have much help,” Cavazos said of the church many of its parishioners refer to as “Sagrado Sacramento.” “We’ve become very close to the church.”

Yet while Cavazos dedicated much of his time to civic causes, he had to pay the bills, too.

He found employment at the University of Idaho branch experiment agriculture station, where he helped conduct research on potatoes, beets and other crops.

The farming industry is still king in the small Bingham County town that was founded by German-speaking Mennonites, and Cavazos and others found in agriculture more than just food.

Over the years, Aberdeen has grown and diversified as more Hispanic families settle in the area.

But Cavazos said it’s still largely the same community as the one he arrived in 45 years ago — one that values family, farming and the availability of water.

The Hispanic population has grown, however. About 40 percent of children in the Aberdeen school system are currently learning English as their second language and many of the school’s sports teams feature diverse rosters that reflect the area’s unique heritage.

But Manuel Cavazos has finally slowed down.

After taking on a heavy load for years, both metaphorically and literally, Cavazos had to have back surgery last June and is still recuperating.

He’s now confined to his bed for long stretches of time, but still manages to attend mass every Sunday at Sagrado Sacramento.

After all, home to Cavazos is more than just where he rests his head.

By Dan Boyd

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