Nonprofit 'Hey Yall Detroit' halts operations amid ICE raid fears in Texas

A Detroit nonprofit has ceased operations as the founder says it was due to fears of ICE raids and arrests of immigrant farmworkers in Texas.

The backstory:

‘Hey Yall Detroit’ is a nonprofit that tackles food insecurity. The founder, Charmane Neal, told FOX 2 that it has been rough and she has dealt with sleepless nights thinking about the families who may be impacted by the ICE raids and may go hungry.

"These last 24 hours have been really, really hard for me. I’m very compassionate about the work, I'm passionate, excuse me, about the work that I do. I know a lot of people rely on me," she said.

For three and a half years, Neal has been giving away fresh produce to neighborhoods in Southwest Detroit and Hamtramck. Her nonprofit gives food to an average of 260 families a month, through free food markets or through her delivery program.

"Just these last 6 months alone we have sent out 25,000 pounds of fresh produce," she said.

To provide the food, she partnered with a farm in Texas, who recently delivered upsetting news to her on Thursday.

"They personally came up here to tell me the news about the farm closing and things like that," she told FOX 2, holding back tears. "That just was some tough news."

What they're saying:

Neal says she was told many of the farmworkers, 68% of whom are immigrants, did not show up to work due to fears of ICE raids and deportations.

It is a tough situation, as she says food insecurity is prevalent in Detroit and some families won't be able to eat.

"That’s a really hard pill to swallow because there’s nothing that I can do. I always have a solution for everything. ‘Hey Yall’ has gone through so much," she said.

What's next:

As her heart breaks for them, she hopes to prevail and still be able to help families who are dealing with food insecurity in the Motor City.

"You deserve equality. You deserve good food. You deserve a good home to live in. And, I’m ready to fight that fight again," she said.

Neal says she’s got some ideas about how she would like to fight, like through crowdfunding and crowdsourcing.

For now, she created a GoFundMe, which you can donate to by tapping here.

The Source: FOX 2 talked with ‘Hey Yall Detroit’ founder Charmane Neal.

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