THE TOMATO OF JUSTICE

Did slaves pick your tomatoes?

If you buy Florida tomatoes from Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, or Stop n Shop, the workers who picked your tomatoes are protected from slavery, exploitation, and sexual harassment by the Fair Food program. If you eat tomatoes at most fast-food restaurants, they were also picked by workers who are getting a living wage from the growers. But if you’ve eaten at Wendy’s, those pickers are not protected, because Wendy’s refuses to sign on to the Fair Food agreement.

Since 2011, HBT has supported the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) to inform consumers about the plight of migrant tomato workers. Our visits to managers at Trader Joe’s contributed to the CIW’s successful effort to get Trader Joe’s to sign on.

This week, our partner, T'ruah (The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights) is taking part in the CIW's 2016 Workers' Voice Tour. Migrant workers and their supporters will march to Wendy’s headquarters in New York City on March 3 to deliver a message of justice.

Rabbi Penzner will be traveling to New York City to participate in the action at Wendy’s headquarters. YOU and your family can join the effort. All you need to do is download the tomato of justice, write a letter on it to Wendy's major shareholder, Jewish businessman Nelson Peltz, decorate it with messages of justice, and bring it to the temple office this week. We will send all the letters to Peltz in a special Purim package.

Click here to access everything you need to know about the CIW, Wendy’s and the tomato of justice.