Dozens of families have already left Albert Lea in the aftermath of the Farmland fire – some looking for new jobs elsewhere, and others apparently transferring to other Farmland plants in the Midwest.

Friday, July 27, 2001

Dozens of families have already left Albert Lea in the aftermath of the Farmland fire – some looking for new jobs elsewhere, and others apparently transferring to other Farmland plants in the Midwest.

Estimates are that 10 percent of the 500-person workforce has moved on, said Collette Turcotte, director of Community Action in Albert Lea. One woman told Turcotte she knows of 25 families who have pulled up and left.

&uot;We know that a lot of them just went, ‘God, we’ve got to make our bills this month, and we’re out of here,’&uot; Turcotte said.

Farmland’s corporate communications office said Albert Lea employees have applied for jobs elsewhere in the company, but would not disclose how many or whether they have been hired. Turcotte, however, said she’s heard of workers who have transferred out of the community.

Those who remain are busy looking for jobs, Turcotte said.

About 250 to 300 Farmland workers attended a job fair last week, said Dianne Nelson, a customer service representative for the Minnesota Department of Economic Security. About 25 companies from Nebraska, Iowa, South Dakota and Minnesota attended the fair.

&uot;The employers were very pleased,&uot; Nelson said. &uot;We received good reports that they spoke with several prospective employees. The applicants that we spoke with seemed to be very satisfied too.&uot;

Some workers are considering jobs at a Farmland plant in Crete, Neb., said Derby Olsen, president of Local 6 of the Food and Commerical Workers union.

Agencies like the Salvation Army, United Way and Community Action are busy trying to plug gaps in their budgets.

Turcotte said her agency started a program that gives $200 for housing assistance and $50 for utility assistance for Farmland workers, but the cost will add up quickly. If 200 workers got those benefits, it would cost $50,000 per month.

&uot;How long can we do it? Not very long,&uot; Turcotte said. &uot;We need a lot of money.&uot;

To avoid competing against each other, Community Action and the Salvation Army decided to join forces, combining all their funds in one pot and offering the same programs, Turcotte said.

Relief workers will continue to offer assistance, optimistic that the funding will fall into place to continue the programs, she said.