Students from the University of Florida’s College of Fine Arts will be spending their Spring Break in Franklin County this year helping local workers in the oyster industry.
Many local seafood workers were impacted by the heavy rains and freezing temperatures that crossed Florida in December, January and February. In February, the USDA declared Franklin County an agricultural disaster area, less than two weeks after Franklin County commissioners declared a local state of emergency.
The weather led to an unusually high number of bay closures over the three month period which left many oyster harvesters without a way to make money. According to a report from Big Bend Community Organizations Active in Disaster, between 1,000 and 1,300 families are suffering financially because of the bay closures.
A local group called BayAid was established to help address local needs and BayAid is now working with a group of faculty, staff and students from the University of Florida who will be spending their spring break delivering aid in Franklin County through healthcare and the arts.
The project is called “AIM for the Panhandle”.
AIM for the Panhandle will work directly with workers at seafood houses, providing health screenings and education while collecting oral histories and engaging residents in community art projects with healthcare messages, including the construction of a mural. The group has also assembled toiletry and art supply kits which will be distributed to affected families.
http://www.oysterradio.com
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