Loading Up: Cherry Harvest Kicks Migrant Education into overdrive

By Tom Peterson

The Dalles, Ore., June 4, 2025 — With Cherry Harvest in the Gorge set to start on Friday or Saturday, Migrant Eduction kicked it into high gear today to build bags of essential items for children of cherry pickers who will be here in mass in the next few days.

Lead Migrant Recruiter Elda Dorado said they were building 500 bags of essential items for kids between the ages of 3 and 21.

The bags include soap, shampoo, tissues, gloves, bleach, bandanas, hats, books and even some games such as dominos.

“Orchard View Farms is set to start picking this Friday or Saturday,” Dorado said. “So were going to start reaching out to families and giving out these bags.”

Recruiters such as Durado reach out to orchard camps and places such as La Michoacana Variety Store on Kelly Avenue in The Dalles to connect with families and children. They also locate children in the federal government’s H-2A temporary agricultural worker program who are in the United States to fill seasonal farm labor needs.

Durado said they also welcome some workers with food baskets from the Columbia Gorge Food Bank.

The Migrant Education Program, organized by Jonathon Fost at Columbia Gorge Education Service District will be providing Science, Technology, Engineering and Math education this year as well as English as a Second Language course for H-2A children.

As of 2025, Wasco County, Oregon, has approximately 8,000 acres of cherry trees in production, according to the USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service county profile.

The county is the leading producer of sweet cherries in Oregon, contributing significantly to the state's cherry industry.

The cherry orchards in Wasco County vary in size, with some family farms managing around 100 acres, while larger operations oversee thousands of acres.