DELANO, CA – Every day, we here at AndNowUKnow are blown away by the commitment and the strength our industry exudes during these difficult times. Essential workers such as farmworkers continue to provide healthy and nutritious produce for our country, and the California Farmworker Foundation wants to ensure their safety remains a top priority. The organization recently launched a new campaign, La Seguridad Empieza con Usted, which translates to Safety Starts with You, to help the farmworker community stay safe through the pandemic by providing encouragement for best practices and information on additional resources.

“The health of farmworkers and their families is just as essential as their work to keep the world fed,” said Hernan Hernandez, California Farmworker Foundation Executive Director. “Farming operations have adopted safety procedures to keep workers safe on the job. This campaign provides our communities with more Spanish-language information and resources about the pandemic, including the dispelling of COVID-19 myths, to better educate everyone on the need to make safe choices in their personal lives.”

According to the press release, La Seguridad Empieza con Usted will reach farmworkers in the greater Bakersfield and Fresno growing regions. The farmworker safety campaign is supported by the California Fresh Fruit Association and California Table Grape Commission.

Advertisements on Spanish-language radio will encourage farmworkers to visit the foundation’s Facebook page for ways to stay safe during the pandemic. On the page are messages that encourage safe practices during a pandemic, dispel myths about the pandemic, and provide tips for increased safety measures in daily life. These messages will continue throughout the campaign.

This campaign is an expansion of work that the foundation has already been doing to keep the community safe during the pandemic, including distributing PPE, combatting food insecurity, and providing virtual medical consultations. Farmworkers can call the foundation’s free hotline at 661-446-4077 for additional information on ways to stay safe during the pandemic.

We are all in this together, and we here at ANUK will continue to highlight the efforts our industry continues to put forth.

California Farmworker Foundation California Fresh Fruit Association California Table Grape Commission