Over two years after the pandemic, USDA introduced almost $671 million in grants shall be accessible for frontline staff together with farmworkers, meatpacking staff and grocery retailer staff as a part of the Meals Employees Reduction Grant Program. USDA chosen 15 grant recipients to distribute the one-time $600 cost to agriculture staff affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
This system, which is run by USDA’s Agricultural Advertising and marketing Service, will use funding to supply reduction to farmworkers and meatpacking staff who incurred pandemic-related well being and security prices. Funding can also be put aside for 3 pilot packages to assist grocery staff in recognition of their important position within the pandemic response. These organizations at the moment are getting ready programs and can start implementing outreach in order that eligible farmworkers, meatpacking staff, and grocery staff could apply to those grant recipients to obtain $600 funds quickly. USDA anticipates that beneficiaries will have the ability to apply for funds from a few of these recipients as quickly as late November. Employees should present legitimate proof of ID and employment to obtain a cost.
“USDA is dedicated not solely to acknowledging the work of our nation’s important agricultural and meals staff, but additionally making certain they don’t seem to be not noted of alternatives for reduction from the consequences of the pandemic,” says Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack. “The grant recipients being introduced at this time will assist us present reduction funds to staff throughout the nation who saved meals shifting to our households throughout an particularly difficult time.”
Reduction funds shall be accessible to eligible frontline staff in farming actions, meatpacking, and grocery retailer work throughout the interval extending from Jan. 27, 2020, till the emergency interval has been declared over. Eligibility necessities embrace id and employment verification, and immigration standing just isn’t an element. There isn’t a price to use for the FFWR. Solely organizations awarded the grant by the USDA could course of FFWR functions. (Click on right here for a full checklist of awardees.)
USDA chosen organizations for his or her confirmed monitor information working with farmworkers, meatpacking staff, and front-line grocery staff, their sturdy partnerships with worker-serving organizations, and their potential to supply companies in important geographic areas to collectively guarantee nationwide protection underneath this program.
The most important recipient is the UFCW Charity Basis, Inc., which works with farm and meatpacking staff for a complete of $131,660,000 of funding. The UFW Basis was awarded $97,836,293. The checklist of UFW Basis subrecipients embrace CIERTO, Michigan Advocacy Program, Binestar Oregon, United Farm Employees, Farmworker Affiliation of Florida and North Carolina Concentrate on Rising Schooling Management and Dignity.
The UFW Basis says it “labored tirelessly to advance laws that might empower USDA to assist farm staff all through the pandemic.”
In a press release, UFW says, “COVID-19 Congress reduction packages failed to supply pandemic help to thousands and thousands of undocumented individuals, lots of whom pay taxes by Particular person Taxpayer Identification Numbers and continued laboring throughout the pandemic, together with farm staff. That’s the reason UFW Basis has been advocating for farm employee pandemic reduction—making it recognized that regardless that farm staff are important staff, they haven’t been handled as such. Moreover, not like different staff, farm staff federally don’t qualify for additional time pay, sometimes obtain low wages, and expertise poor working situations.”
“The COVID-19 pandemic left our most important staff to fend for themselves with no federal support, low pay, harmful working situations, and little to no financial security nets,” mentioned UFW Basis Government Director Diana Tellefson Torres. “And but, farm staff continued risking their lives for all of us to have meals on our tables. We applaud the Biden-Harris Administration, Secretary Vilsack and USDA for recognizing the important position of farm staff within the nation’s meals safety and economic system by this program. Pandemic reduction funds will make a major affect within the daily lives of farm staff affected by the pandemic.”
