Prestigious designation is given to organizations with experience in providing support or relief services to farmworkers or meatpacking workers.
SACRAMENTO, CA (January 5, 2023) – La Cooperativa Campesina de California is pleased to announce that it has been selected by the United States Department of Agriculture, as one of 14 non-profit organizations and one tribal entity, to administer the Farm and Food Workers Relief Grant program (FFWR). Through this program, a one-time direct relief payment of $600 is now available to qualifying frontline farm, grocery, and meatpacking workers for expenses incurred due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“For over 50 years, La Cooperativa has been in the frontlines of farmworker issues in California,” said Marco Lizarraga, Director for La Cooperativa. “This direct cash payment will help many of our farmworkers who kept Californians fed during the pandemic. I am humbled that the USDA entrusts its resources to allow La Cooperativa to continue to perform the vital work necessary to help California’s farmworkers, many who face instability, poverty, and lack of resources.”
FFWR provides approximately $665 million in Consolidated Appropriations Act funds to provide grants to State agencies, Tribal entities, and nonprofit organizations with experience in providing support or relief services to farmworkers or meatpacking workers. Awards range from $5 million to $50 million. La Cooperativa Campesina de California has been awarded $36 million.
La Cooperativa is the statewide association of 5-member agencies implementing and administering farm worker service programs throughout California. Collectively, La Cooperativa member agencies operate more than 80 locally-engaged, bilingual offices, with a collaborative model that has enabled them to gain the trust of rural communities and make La Cooperativa an essential vehicle for rural services delivery
“In an occupation dominated by instability and poverty, member agencies help our clients and their communities achieve lasting prosperity and self-sufficiency through education, training, placement, and other supportive services,” said Lizarraga. “This grant funding will directly help California’s farmworkers by putting cash directly into their pockets. I urge California farmworkers who qualify to contact our office to learn more about this benefit.”
Payments have already begun to be distributed. Please contact the following La Cooperativa Member Agencies serving the various regions of California:
Central Valley Opportunity Center
Stanislaus, Merced, Madera
1-209-356-7176
California Human Development
Lake Mendocino, Sonoma, Napa, Solano, Yolo, San Joaquin, Sacramento, Sutter, Yuba, Contra Costra, Butte, Colusa
1-916-371-8220
PROTEUS
Fresno, Kings, Kern, Tulare and Los Angeles
1-888-776-9998
CET
Santa Clara, Monterrey, Sacramento, San Benito, San Luis Obispo, Santa Cruz, Ventura, Los Angeles, San Diego, Imperial, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Joaquin, Santa Barbara
1-800-533-2519
Employers Training
Resources
Kern, Inyo, Mono
1-661-336-6661
To learn more about cash payments for farmworkers, please visit: https://lacooperativa.org/600-farmworker-cash-payment/
Additional Information on USDA Farm and Food Workers Relief Grant program: https://www.ams.usda.gov/services/grants/ffwr
