The COVID-19 pandemic is disproportionately impacting farmworkers and magnifying the systemic issues that have historically oppressed those that work in the fields and food processing plants.
Our pandemic response:
- Through the Into the Fields Program, SAF is partnering with 15 health clinics, migrant education programs, migrant head start, legal services, and community groups to facilitate farmworkers’ ability to get culturally and linguistically appropriate information about COVID prevention, testing, and vaccinations.
- SAF interns are working with partners to prepare hygiene kits, PPE packets, and food boxes for outreach and events, creating educational materials, and conducting in-person and online workshops and videos for workers. Interns working with mobile clinics are visiting labor camps to provide testing and vaccines and assisting workers that have tested positive with referrals to resources.
- We established a Farmworker Emergency Fund and gave out $120,000 in five rounds of funding for SAF alumni and student-participants from farmworker families that have an unmet need due to COVID.
- Through our Conéctate Carolina app and social media, we're sharing information and resources about COVID-19 with farmworkers.
- We are working with national partners and the NC Farmworker Advocacy Network (FAN) to advocate for workplace protections and access to care for farmworkers.
Take Action:
Demand strong COVID Worker Safety Protections, including an Emergency Temporary Standard from OSHA to protect workers. Use this toolkit to call the Office of Management and Budget's Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) at 202-395-5897 to tell them it is time to #ProtectWorkersNow